


Surviving, Evolving, My Friends and I

by nevermore6488



Series: Rayne's Explorer Notes [1]
Category: ARK: Survival Evolved
Genre: Angst, Ark:Survival Evolved, Cute, Diary/Journal, Dinosaur friends!!, Dinosaurs, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt, Loneliness, Survival, Tragedy, Video Game, crafting, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2019-12-18 15:06:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18252317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermore6488/pseuds/nevermore6488
Summary: Spunky survivor, Rayne Gustavson, chronicles how she awoke on an island teeming with monsters, and how she managed to survive all alone.





	1. Entry 1 Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> I've logged something like 2000 hours playing this MMO solo. The more adventures I had, the more I knew I wanted to make a story out of it.
> 
> I hope it goes without saying, but just in case, this is a work of (fan)fiction. Please do not use it as a source for survival information. I'm not a survival expert, and while I have done research, this shouldn't be used as a "how to" guide. Leave that to the experts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

My name is Rayne Gustavson. I needed someone, anyone, to know that. To know I was alive, and I was here… Before all this, I was a twenty-six year old music technician. I had friends, family, I was still working on a love life, but I was happy. Then, _somehow_ , I ended up here. I decided to keep a journal because, frankly, what the hell else is there for me to do? I’m currently healing after a six-foot beast shivved my thigh with his unreasonably large toe. I won’t be walking or working any time soon, and I desperately need to distract myself from the pain. Despite all that, I’m looking forward to this. Maybe writing things down will help me stay sane.

On the off chance that you found these writings before doing anything else on this hellhole of an Island (unlikely), let me start at the beginning…

I remember the first day very clearly. I stirred in my sleep and realized I was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t figure out why. Then a warm breeze, carrying the smell of salt, rolled over me, and I jerked myself awake. My body felt stiff, my muscles were weak, my eyes were sore, and my head was swimming. When my vision finally cleared, I got more confused. The sand and palm trees alone were a bit of a shock. I used to live in Ohio. Needless to say, I was scared. As I struggled in the sand, I realized I was naked, save for a primitive set of undergarments. My struggling was just filling them with sand. Furthermore, the familiar weight of my (less than manageable) hair was gone.

I finally managed to roll onto my stomach. I forced myself to my knees and looked down at myself, hoping I could figure out why I felt so weak. Unfortunately, I only got more confused when I found a bizarre, diamond-shaped, metal, _thing_ embedded in my wrist. I immediately grabbed at the foreign object and tried to force it out of my flesh. Yanking at it just sent paroxysms of pain shooting through my entire nervous system. It felt like someone had tasered me right in the spine, but on the inside. As quick as it happened, it vanished as soon as I let it go. I was utterly convinced it was some sort of “slave chip.” Someone had kidnapped and implanted this thing in me to keep me from escaping. The thought just sent me spiraling into a full-blown panic.

“Who the hell undressed me? Where the hell am I? Why am I bald? What smells like horse poop?” I thought. I don’t know how long I sat there trying to make sense of my predicament. I tried to focus on the last thing I remembered, but that’s the strange thing. I can’t figure it out. I remember who I am, I remember growing up, going to school, being stupid, working, and socializing, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what my most recent memory is. I still can’t. The last year I remember… I think it was 2016? I had this vague notion that a lot of time has passed. Like when you wake up in the morning and you know you’ve been asleep for hours, but you don’t really remember those hours? It’s like that. Have I been asleep? In a coma? For all I know I could have been dead. But how long? Days? Weeks? Centuries? I still have no damn clue.

I remember struggling to my feet once I finally got my body working, and, still convinced I'd been drugged and kidnapped by some lunatic (I suppose it’s still a possibility) I was pumped with adrenaline and ready for murder. But as I whipped around looking to beat my abductor to death, I saw something that drained all the fight I had right out of me and forced my terrified brain into absolute silence. I fell back to my knees, a mix of awe, confusion, a bit of fear, and a lot of excitement coursing through me.

About thirty yards up the beach, a sizable animal stood munching on nearby shrubbery. I thought it was a rhinoceros or a hippo at first given the size and girth of the thing, but it had a long tail, a frill on the back of its head, and three wicked horns. Rhinos don’t have those features. I remember how it sort of clicked in my brain. “What is that thing? It almost looks like… Oh my god. It’s a Triceratops.” A goddamn Dinosaur was munching on a bush like it was the most normal thing in the world, and I was right there with it.

There’s really no way to describe the emotions you feel then, especially if you’re like me. You have to understand, I'm a total nerd about dinosaurs. I love them. I always have. Unlike many people, my love for the ancient beasts never faded with age. I'll always adore them, and here I was, staring at one of these extinct creatures that had captured my imagination for my entire life.

I took in every detail. It was colored a dark jungle green over most of its body. Its back was covered in black scaly skin. It munched with a huge curved beak, sheering leaves and berries off the bush. It was big, maybe seven or eight feet tall at its highest point. It could easily look down on me, and I’m about five foot six. It was broad shouldered and strong looking, and its infamous trio of horns stood long and sharp upon its head. The horn on its nose was bigger than my fist, and the pair on its forehead must have been at least two or three feet long.

I'm not sure how long I sat there staring. Those first dinosaurs are just so beautiful, and so terrible. As you may already know, there’s plenty more fantastic beasts roaming around this place, so don’t spend too long fawning over the first. Some of them would be happy to make a meal of you.

Once I was sure I wasn’t hallucinating (well, mostly sure), my surprise and adoration gave way to shock and confusion. I got back to my feet, and rational thought returned and screamed at me, "what the actual fuck is going on? Am I caught in some sort of time travel loop? Where on Earth am I? Am I even on Earth?”

Strap yourselves in, kids. That feeling of “what the fuck” never really goes away. Those first days, I believed I’d somehow been hurled back in time. I’ve since discovered that’s not quite the case here, but that requires more writing than I’m willing to do at the moment.

I’ve managed to survive here for almost a year now. I’ll try and provide details on how and hopefully that can help you survive, but let it be known, as of right now, I don’t have definite answers. I don’t know why I’m here, I don’t know what year it is, and I don’t know why I have this machine embedded in my arm. I don’t know why this place is full of extinct fauna along with giant floating mechanical obelisks like something out of a classic Science Fiction novel, and I definitely don’t know how to escape.

But that’s where we are, folks. I’ve been doing this alone. Well, not completely alone, but I haven’t had any other human contact. Writing this feels like a human connection. So I hope you’ll bear with me while I tell my story. I promise, you’ll find survival advice too. With that said, let’s move on to the important thing: how I lasted this long.

My primary means of survival has been friends. Dinosaur friends. Oddly enough, it’s entirely possible to make friends with many of this island’s big, scary, residents. I’ve got my own little horde. There’s Samson, the Triceratops, Harriet, Horace, Hector, and Helen, my Dilophosaurs, Lindsay “Lin,” a Spinosaurus who really just tolerates my presence, a big lovable oaf of a Diplodocus I call Snugglebug, a pair of Parasauralophus named Petey and Paula, a friendly Iguanadon called Iggy, a trio of “mammal-like” Lystrosaurs Joey, Gracie, and Jack, a whole gaggle of idiot Dodo birds whose names I don’t feel like listing right now, and most recently, a trio of deadly Raptors: Parakeet, Finch, and Crow. Crow is actually the one that stabbed me. You may think it seems stupid to keep a deadly predator around when you’re wounded, and you would be absolutely right, but the old rules don’t apply here. The Raptors are my friends now

I think that’s enough writing for now. I’ll tell you all about my dinosaur friends in time, but despite battling predators and doing construction and farm work for the last few months, my wrist is starting to hurt after writing this much. My friends also need their goodnights, if I can even reach them. If you don’t find another entry, assume I got eaten by one of the Island’s many two-story apex predators. Also, watch out for the two-story apex predators.


	2. Entry 2: Wrist Bling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne details how she learned the basics on her first day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

So, it turns out writing was fun for me. I found myself looking forward to it all day. My leg wound is still a disgusting bloody mess, but it’s a slightly less gooey mess now. I managed to hobble around on makeshift crutches and get a few chores done, while saying “hi” to my dino pals. Anyway, where were we? Ah, yes. My first day and my first dino encounters. Fun stuff. But you’re reading this looking for survival tips, I’m guessing. Don’t worry. An important lesson is coming...

The primary means of staying alive, of course, are food and water. I learned how to acquire both maybe an hour after waking up. After freaking out about the dinosaurs I was sharing land with and stupidly wandering up and down the beach shouting for help, I let my survival training kick in. My dad was a former Navy Seal, a hardcore survivalist who thinks a “camping trip” is getting air dropped into the wilderness with nothing but a bowie knife. I stayed near the spot where I woke up and left rocks there to mark the spot. You don’t want to get lost. 

After marking the spot, I went looking for food, and that’s when I met another of this place’s residents. As I climbed up a hill, I saw him emerge from a thicket of trees. The creature eyed me warily, and moved away after letting out a startled honk. I watched him wander through the shrubs, crushing them under his feet. 

He was mellow-looking, if a bit skittish. He stood seven or eight feet tall, but with nowhere near the girth of the Triceratops. He kept his gentle brown eyes on me, as he approached some bushes a few yards away from me. He munched in a way that reminded me of a horse, using his duck-bill shaped lips to pull things to his teeth, then biting them off and chewing them up. The crescent shaped crest on the back of his head told me exactly what kind of dinosaur he was: Parasaurolophus, Parasaur for short. One of the “duck-billed” dinosaurs. He was light brown in color, and I’d wager he weighed close to a few thousand pounds. He walked in a bipedal fashion and kept his two small arms underneath him, curled up to his chest.

I watched him intently for a good twenty minutes. Part of that was just me being a fan-girl for dinosaurs, but it taught me something important. It was picky about the berries it was eating. I’m sure you’ve noticed that most of the bushes on this Island all grow multiple types of berries. Weird, right? There are about six different berries I’ve found so far. Red ones, blue ones, yellow ones, purple ones, white ones, and dark blue (maybe black?) ones. Oddly enough, every fruit bearing plant on this island produces these same six berries. I have no idea how or why, or if that’s even supposed to be possible.

The Parasaur picked out the blue, red, yellow, and purple berries, and gobbled them up hungrily. It avoided the black and white berries. Keep this in mind. The white and black, I’ve since discovered, aren’t inedible, but they have other effects on your body. There’s your first survival tip. Don’t go horking down black and white berries.

The Parasaur’s favorite berries seemed to be the purple ones. Seeing this, I did something stupid. I gathered up a handful of the purple berries from the bushes and shrubs around me, and I approached the beast. He took heed of my approach. His munching stopped and he was poised to flee at a moment’s notice. You could tell by his stance. I know this is dangerous... you never approach a wild animal, and you definitely don’t feed them. But I couldn’t help myself. It was a dinosaur, and I wanted to get closer. 

I took slow and deliberate steps. I was trying to show him I was no threat to him. He didn’t run, even when I stood a few feet away. I felt his breath hitting me; I could smell his musky smell. His eyes darted from the berries in my hand, to my face, trying to decide if the treat I held was worth the risk. Slowly I raised my hands, and stretched them forward, presenting the berries to him. After a tense moment, he cautiously leaned forward to accept. His lips enveloped my hands as he slurped up the berries. Some might think this was gross (it was), but this was a dinosaur. A dinosaur got its spit all over me and accepted a gift from me. As far as I was concerned, this was one of the most exciting moments of my life. 

When he finished his snack, he rubbed his head on my hands in thanks, almost like a cat. I stroked his snout. I felt his scaly, yet, oddly fuzzy skin. It was exhilarating. I was so enthralled there were tears in my eyes. I completely forgot about the fact that I was naked, alone, and hungry. 

I made a move to step closer to the beast, but that made him uncomfortable. Having accepted my offering, and expressed his thanks, he lumbered away. Then he did something strange. Pay attention kids, because here’s your next survival tip. He walked right up to the water, keeping in mind that this is a tropical island as far as I can tell. The water should be salt water… but the Parasaur walked right up to it, lowered his head, and took a long drink.

After that, he wandered off and I went to investigate. Sure enough, the water was drinkable. It tastes a bit strange. Fresh isn’t the right word. I can’t really describe it, but it’s drinkable, and it will hydrate you, and that’s what’s important. 

So, there you have it. Water and food are available in decent quantities all over the beaches. I recommend boiling water for safeties sake, but I have to admit, I haven’t been doing that and I’ve been fine. I avoid water I saw dinosaurs peeing in mind you, but… it always seems clean and its never gotten me sick, and I’ve seen the disgusting things that happen in these waters. 

When my brownish parasaur friend had wandered a good distance down the beach I scooted toward the shrubs I'd been sitting around and examined the berries he’d been picking at. My dad taught me the sorts of things you should do with unknown plants to test them for negative effects. None of the berries caused any reactions on my skin or after ingesting. When I was reasonably sure the berries were safe to eat, I tasted one, a big plump red colored variety. It tasted good, but not like anything I'd ever tasted before. I'd say it most closely resembled a cherry, but a bit tarter. The juice and flesh were both pleasant enough. After swallowing, I waited.

I had to determine they weren't having a negative effect on my innards before I ate them en masse. I gathered a pile of them while I was waiting. I repeated the process for each of the different berries. This was how I discovered the various effects. A single black berry (They’re called Narcoberries by the previous explorers… I’ll tell you about them later) almost knocked me right out. It’s a shame. They’re kind of tasty. The white ones are like the polar opposite. They’re called “stimberries,” and for good reason. They act like a source of caffeine. Too many will dehydrate you, though. The rest, blue “azulberries,” yellow “amarberries,” red “tintoberries,” and purple “mejoberries” are all safe to eat and available in abundance. 

By the time I was satisfied that the berries weren’t going to kill me or cripple my bowels, the sun was beginning to set. My first sunset. The first days are pretty emotional, but I made one more important discovery that evening.

So, we’ve awoken, naked and scared on a beach with a bunch of hostile fauna. We’ve gotten over our panic, and we’ve learned how to fulfill our basic needs of food and water. What else is important for survival in a hostile environment?

A lot sadly. More than I feel like writing about certainly. But luckily for me, I don’t have to. That night, after building myself a fire and making myself a cozy bed (a sand pile with palm leaf sheets) I decided to investigate the bizarre foreign object in my arm that caused me a great deal of pain earlier. It was then I discovered just what it was. I’m sure you’ve all made the discovery yourselves: it’s a functioning computer.

I was poking and prodding it when I activated it. The device lit up like a tiny, wrist mounted Christmas tree. Then, blue light surged from it and took shape. Next thing I knew, I was looking at a computer screen. A holographic computer screen, projected from the diamond thing in our wrists.

I knew enough about computers to know what I was looking at, but I was no genius. Sadly, it’s not all that advanced in terms of versatility. No command prompt or programming as far as I can tell. Even if there were, I wouldn’t know how to hack into it. You can use your hand to “swipe” left and right to different screens. The first one showed a full body picture of yours truly. I’ve since found that it’s a detailed medical monitor. Clicking a bit brought up a bunch of readings, my heart rate, my body temperature, and a bunch of others, like food and water intake. I don’t think I need to tell you why that’s helpful.

The next screen contained a bunch of useful instructions. Things like weaving fiber into cloth, how to build a fire, and other basic survival skills are detailed there. I already had a bunch of the knowledge thanks to dad, but at least I had a reference. Come back to this page often. Sometimes it updates. I think those updates might come from fulfilling certain conditions, but I’m not entirely sure yet. One time I was craving something other than berries, and lo and behold, that screen suddenly had instructions for a basic cooking pot that let me make a nice berry stew. They’ve all been useful, but instructions for a magic teleporting machine to send me home wouldn’t go amiss. So far, it’s all “thatch walls” and “wood doors.” How about a shotgun?

This page is labeled as “engrams.” I don’t know what an engram is so let’s just assume it’s “instructions.” Keep an eye on that too. You never know when… whatever’s in charge will decide it’s ok for you to learn something new.

The next screen wasn’t helpful at first. It was labeled “Map,” but it was completely blank. It did contain a compass though. After clicking a bit, I realized it let me “draw.” I guess the idea is for you to make your own map. You can figure out those tools yourself but do yourself a favor and do it. Maps are crucial.

That’s really all that I’ve got there. Finding that computer and its monumentally useful tools didn’t fill me with one bit of comfort that first night. Quite the opposite, in fact. We’ve been kidnapped, brought to a foreign place, with dinosaurs, but we’ve also been given a computer that’s welded to our nervous system and constantly… monitoring. Computers mean people. People (not necessarily human people) were behind this. Why? The theory I’m still stuck on is maybe this is some sort of new reality tv show for some sick aliens. “See the earthlings take on their past! Shall we show them how to make spears with rocks and sticks? You decide!”

Sadly, I’ll have to stop here. My wound is beginning to itch. That’s a bad sign. I need rest.


	3. Entry 3... BORK!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne meets her first friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, all the dodo's are basically Hei Hei from "Moana."

I was pleasantly surprised today. When I woke up and hobbled outside, I found the three Raptors racing and chasing with the Dilophosaurs. It wasn’t exactly a fair game. The raptors are twice their size and a boatload faster, but the three of them stopped, periodically, to let the little guys catch up. They seemed to be having a lot of fun together.

Three days ago they stabbed me in the thigh and tried to kill me. Today, they’re keeping my other friends occupied while I recover. On top of that, it seems they went hunting, and brought their catch’s home. There were several fresh dead animals sitting in the carnivore’s food trough, and everyone was happily sharing (gross).

Then, about fifteen minutes ago, after finally getting a small fire going, Crow trotted up to me, and, very tentatively, leaned his nose towards me. He gave my face a sniff and cocked his head. I reached out and touched him. He leaned in happily as I ran my hand up and down his neck. In the three days since he stabbed me, this was the first time we ever really… connected. I like to think it was his way of saying “sorry I shivved you with my unreasonably large toe.”

With a pack of murder lizard/birds and a two-story behemoth looking out for me now, I might actually be able to survive whatever this is. Speaking of survival, lets get back to my story…

On the morning of my second day, a chilly breeze blew in from the seas. Naked as I was, I knew a fire was going to be necessary. I scarfed some berries from my stash before covering the rest with a palm tree leaf. Next, I set about gathering up more wood, flint, and stone to make another fire. With my arms full of stuff, I turned to bring my load back to my spot, but then my bare feet made contact with something, soft, warm, and very alive.

It was too late to prevent a spill, so I flung my armful of supplies to the side as I tumbled to the sand in the least graceful way. I scrambled about, trying to figure out what I’d just tripped over, and I came face to face with a big round beak and some clueless eyes. The animal didn’t seem terribly bothered that I’d just gone tumbling over it. It was maybe a foot and a half tall. It fluffed its light brown feathers, and gave its head a good shake.

The thing was… kind of adorable. It looked like the bastard offspring of a pigeon and a chicken, but with the combined intelligence of neither of those things. Lethargically, it peered towards me. "Bork?" It asked. "Warble warble!" it continued. Then it lost interest in me and waddled off.

It’s statistically impossible that you haven’t spotted these birds wandering around. They’re freaking everywhere. I’ve since learned they’re Dodo birds. Don’t ask me why Dodo birds are living alongside dinosaurs. I have no clue.

I watched perplexed, and slightly amused as it waddled about, pecking up berries it found. I shook my head, feeling a combination of disbelief, bemusement, and a dash of existential dread. I kept myself focused on gathering up my scattered pile of firewood.

After building a fire and warming up, I spent the rest of the morning gathering up survival supplies; Food, wood, fibers, everything I could use to keep myself going. I took the time to gather a bunch of rocks, to make a big “S.O.S.” sign on the beach, in the vain hope that I could signal for help.

After eating some lunch, I put the knowledge I’d gleaned from my “engrams” to use. I weaved the fiberous material I’d gathered from plants into cloth. After hours I’d actually weaved myself a scarf/rag/placemat/piece of cloth. I wore it as a headband. I’d say I did pretty damn good for my first try.

Evening fell, so I got a nighttime fire going. The rest of the evening I spent staring more at the various screens and information contained in my implant. New instructions had appeared for clothes. Cloth shirts, pants, and more importantly, _shoes_.

I was staring at the interface pretty intently, so what came next was a bit of a shock.

" **Bork**?"

The question came from a place inches from my ear, and my heart leapt into my throat.

I turned to find a Dodo, the same brownish Dodo I’d tripped over earlier. It tilted its head, eyeing me curiously. "Bork?" It asked again. Then it waddled over to my berry pile and happily began helping itself. I was too perplexed to stop it. It peered up at me again. “Warble warble!” it stated. 

It sat itself down between the fire pit and I, staring quizzically at me and warming its butt at the same time. I couldn't help but smile. I found I was glad for the company even if was completely clueless. I reached out to touch the bird. It didn’t shy away (frankly it didn’t react at all), so I stroked it. Its feathers were soft and fluffy. It closed its eyes in contentment as I scratched the top of his head. I decided to call him Freddy. He seemed like a Freddy.

Having him with me… It definitely helped me keep despair at bay. I’m plucked from my old life, dropped in a strange hostile land, forced to survive, and most importantly, I have no clue why. These thoughts and more kept roiling in my head, but then Freddy would “bork” at me, or trip over his own feet, or get his head stuck in the sand, and I could smile again.

So I fell asleep that night, beneath palm leaves, with a clueless, flightless, bird snuggling in my arms.

On the morning of day three, when I woke up, and emerged from my pile of leaves and feathers, I found no less than three other Dodos warbling and "bork-ing" around the fire pit. I guess they like the heat. I gathered up another pile of berries and dumped it there. Freddy and his new friends chowed down. The little Dodo squad began following me around after that. I named them all after characters from a video game I used to play. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.

It took some doing, but I finally got the birds to stay put on the beach while I gathered food for myself.

My next order of business was more clothes. My engrams guided me. I gathered more fibers and did some more weaving. I sewed cloth to leaves with more fiber to make myself a lumpy shirt. Next came pants. For shoes, I just wrapped the cloth around my feet. It was much better than stepping in Dodo poop barefoot.

That was all that happened on day three. On day four, thankfully the dodos didn’t multiply again. That morning, I was delighted to find that the Parasaurolophus I’d met on my first day, was still nearby. He evaded me when I tried to approach, so I left him a pile of purple berries and went on with surviving.

During the day I gathered rocks, sticks, and flint and used it to craft some basic tools. The engrams helped me figure out how to get them all assembled. I made an axe (which was more of a rock on a stick really), a pickaxe (a pointier rock on a stick), and a torch (a stick with some fiber wrapped around the tip).

I was determined to build myself some sort of shelter, but my list of engrams didn’t have any tips on construction. All the same, I chopped down a tree and used the pickaxe to rend it into piles of thatch. Some of it I kept as good thick blocks of wood for support. I was fairly certain that with enough of this stuff, I could assemble a decent hut out of thatch. By then I'd been up for hours and I was exhausted. I gathered another pile of berries and went to sit with my clueless bird friends.

For the fourth night in a row, I stared into flames, partly despairing, partly wondering what to do next, and partly planning. Keeping a stash of berries to feed myself and the Dodos was hard work. I wondered if I should hunt for meat so I had other food sources. My dad taught me to hunt, but to be honest I never really had the stomach for killing.

Still, this was a survival situation. I had to stay strong and well fed to survive. I briefly considered eating one of the Dodos, but as they stared vacantly at me I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it. They were too damn cute.

Not _these_  Dodos at least. I could never eat something I was emotionally attatched too. Maybe I could hunt others.

Thinking back, it’s kind of funny I was sitting there contemplating hunting at that moment. Unbeknownst to me, something was in the middle of hunting me.

When darkness finally fell, out of nowhere, my idiot birds moved, altogether, to the far side of the fire. “What are they doing?” Was the only thought I managed before I finally heard the footsteps approaching, along with a… gurgle.

I tensed, grabbed my axe, and whipped around, but I only caught a glimpse of something before a gob of bitter-smelling goop hit me right in the face. It stuck there and stung my eyes. I tried to wipe the stuff away quickly, but it was sticky. In the seconds I struggled to remove it, the thing that blinded me closed the distance, and to my horror, something rather large closed its jaws on my arm. As sharp teeth pierced my flesh and the beast squeezed, I shut down the instinct that told me to scream really loud, and let my survival instinct guide me instead.

I whacked the biter on the head with butt of my axe. After three whacks the creature squawked in pain and released me. I thrust myself towards it and shoved with all my strength. Whatever it was reeled back from the force. I scrambled to my feet and blindly bolted away, keeping my hands up to avoid hitting trees. I was ready to flee to the next continent if I needed to, but some angry ‘borks’ stopped me. I forced the goop from my eyes and looked back. I almost smiled at what I saw.

My Dodos were battling my attacker. Well, battling may be the wrong word. They flapped their tiny useless wings at the creature, smacked their big beaks weakly at its flanks, and I even saw Freddy open his mouth and clamp down on one of its scrawny forelegs.

It was a bit too dark to make out the details. But my attacker was about four feet tall, gangly, and it had attacked me with venom, and teeth. My dad would have told me to run at that moment. “If the predator finds an easier meal, you have a chance to get away” or something like that would have been his advice. For a second I considered it. But then the creature smacked Freddy with its foreleg, hissed in anger, and grabbed Chica up in its mouth.

  
“Oh hell no!” I shouted. Before I could stop myself, I charged. The thing dropped Chica when I tackled it. I leapt up, pinning it down with a foot, as it growled shrilly at me. I didn't give it a chance to struggle. I just started wailing on its head with my axe. It was dead before long.

Whatever your thoughts are on hunting and killing, for me, it was so simple, but so hard at the same time. You never forget the first. Despite the fact that it had tried to kill me, I felt like shit afterwords. Like I said, I don’t have much of a stomach for killing. After I breathed the fire out of my lungs, and surveyed the dead animal I’d just made, I bent over and threw up.

My Dodo squad, basking in victory, warbled their way towards me and started picking through everything I barfed up. They’re stupid, and gross, but they had just thrown themselves into danger for me. Respect my little Dodo birds...

I took a minute to recover, before surveying my kill. First the dinosaur fangirl in me woke up. Despite the nasty damage I’d done, I was fairly confident it was a smaller relative of Dilophosaurus. It had that distinctive head, with two round crests on top and a gap in the jaw. It had decorative skin flaps on either side of its neck that it could spread to make itself look big (or pretty I suppose). When I was done being curious, I checked my wounds.

There was only a bit of bleeding from some surface wounds. I wrapped them in cloth and then ran to check on my dodos. Freddy was fine. Chica had a few flesh wounds from being grabbed, but when I approached her she just “borked” at me like nothing was wrong, then she squatted down and laid an egg, before kicking sand on it and wandering off. The weirdness never ends, I swear.

Next, came the unpleasant experience of harvesting usable material from my attacker. Fresh killed animals are full of resources you can use. I used my axe to start chopping through the thicker parts. A sharp(ish) stone worked well in cutting the hide away from the rest of the carcass.

I gathered as much meat and hide as I could, gagging and retching the whole way, then I threw the unusable bits into the water and hoped they'd wash away. I left the hide spread on the beach to tan. Once i was done, I rebuilt the fire, and the Dodos and I gathered around its warmth. I skewered bits of Dilo meat on sticks and cooked it over the flames. To be honest it wasn't half bad. Reminded me a lot of turkey, or maybe alligator... but not quite. The Dodos had no interest in the stuff, so I ate a hearty dinner of Dilophosaurus meat and a Dodo egg that night.

During dinner, I was interrupted by footsteps and a questioning grunt. I recognized it as the sounds of a Parasaur. I looked over and sure enough, there he was, at the edge of the fire’s light peering tentatively at me. The same brownish green goober whom I’d fed purple berries to on my first day.

“Hey big guy!” I said cheerfully to him. He just cocked his head. “Looking for something?” He didn’t react, but he looked over at the remains of the dead dilophosaur, and then at me. “You want to stay with me?” I may have been projecting when I asked that. But it turns out he did. I think he saw me fight the predator, and reasoned that if I can fight predators, gather food, and build warm fires, I might be worth hanging around.

I grabbed up a handful of purple berries from the Dodo’s pile and held them out for him. Slowly, one step at a time, he approached. He nibbled the berries out of my hand, then, to my surprise, he nuzzled me. I melted a little as I stroked his head and scratched his chin. He plopped himself down, by the fire, making himself comfortable in the warmth. I remember being glad for his presence. He didn't have much in the way of natural weaponry, and he was clearly skittish, but part of me hoped having a big guy like him around would deter smaller predators from trying to sneak up on me again.

I call him Peter, or Petey. I'm happy to report that Petey is still with me months later. He's had some close calls but he's tough and he's quick. Sadly for me he's quite possibly the least threatening eight-foot, two-ton beast in the entire history of the universe. He’s more likely to flee from a threat than face it, even if he could pacify the threat by just sitting on it. Luckily for him, he’s also loyal and lovable. I’ve seen him overcome his fright just to protect me from something nasty. He’s been a good friend.

Anyway, that's basically how those first days went. I learned what to hunt, what supplies to gather, and what dinosaurs would be friendly. I chopped down trees for wood, gathered fiber, and I used my makeshift pickaxe to smash up the boulders and rocks scattered about. Over the course of a few weeks, I assembled a small shack made of thatch and held together by fibers (and prayer).

At last I could sleep in relative safety. Over time more new friends joined me during my nighttime fires. Several more Dodos, Balloon Boy, Puppet, Toy Chica, and Mangle joined the first four. Enough were female that I got a few eggs every few days. A new Parasaur, a female eventually joined Petey, I call her Paula. The pair of them are quite adept at assembling piles of berries and helping me knock trees over.

Around day seven I noticed a new creature wandering close to the fire. Lystrosaurus would be my best guess for what it was. Picture a lizard crossed with a weiner dog and you’ve basically imagined a Lysttosaur. Scientist’s thought of these creatures as "mammal-like reptile." They were, indeed, very mammal-like. Dogs specifically. After a handful of purple berries the thing crawled into my lap and absolutely would not stop snuggling. I called this one Joey, after a dog I had before all this. I'd pet him and he would just swoon.

I crafted new weapons to hunt and defend my new friends, spears, a slingshot, a big old club. All in all I was doing alright. Dad would have been proud. So I survived, and hoped for rescue. It wasn’t until week three or four, when a certain Spinosaurus arrived and chased me away from my initial spot, that I got a good idea that rescue wasn’t coming.

But I’ll talk about that later. Joey needs his snuggle time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to acknowledge it, I did some actual research (i read the wiki) on Dodo birds, and actually took a closer look at the goobers in game, and found they're significantly larger than I've depicted them, both in game and in real life. I like em small and snugglable... Real dodo's stood roughly three feet tall and weighed 20-40 pounds.


	4. Entry 4: Insignificance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne is reminded of how small she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Entry 4: Insignificance

Healing continues. My leg is itching like you wouldn’t believe. I keep cleaning it, and praying I don’t have some sort of infection. I’ve been feeling a bit off, so I didn’t get much done today.

Food supplies continue to worry me. Lindsay dragged a nice big meal out of the ocean that she’s sharing, so the carnivores will be alright. I haven’t been able to get any farm work done, though. I’m worried about my herbivore friends... especially Snugglebug. That beast could eat a house.

I _have_ seen a lot of them grazing, so maybe it’s not that I’m worried they’ll starve. I think I’m scared that if I’m not feeding them, they might decide to leave me. No signs of that yet though. They’re all still super snuggly.

Snugglebug, oaf that he is, tried to nuzzle me and accidentally sent me flying. My wound started bleeding again after that. They are literally killing me with their affection.

In other news, Lindsay the Spino has actually begun approaching me for attention. I think she finally thinks of me (and the others) as friends, but that requires more context. Let me tell you, oh reader of questionable existence, about how I first met my resident apex predator…

As I wrote about before, I had a small hut, I had food, and I had a small group of dinosaur friends. I'd built an actual bed by then, too, so I was getting pretty close to being “almost comfortable.” Joey had taken to curling up at the foot of it (such a dog).

Then, one day, after surviving for almost a month, I remember waking up and heading outside, where I realized something was amiss right away. The Dodos were all quiet. They’re never quiet in the morning. They’re up “borking” at me to feed them. They’re only quiet when they smell a predator. I scanned the beach for them, but I couldn’t see them, or my Parasaurs for that matter. As I searched for my friends, I spotted something I couldn’t explain on the water.

A few hundred yards out in the sea, a huge, ridged, semi-circle, like a fin, or maybe a sail rose from beneath the surface. It was colored dark grey around the edge, and bright orange on the widest part. It moved in a sort of undulating fashion, indicating it was attached to something alive and very large under the surface of the water.

I can’t even describe the dread I felt growing in me right then. I had a good idea of what the sail was attached to. I ran inside to gather my best weapons, and ran back out, Joey sleepily following at my heels.

When I emerged, the fin was moving towards the shore. If I was right, I was about to encounter a beast which scientists (back when or wherever my time was) believe was an apex predator in a world chock full of giant scaly monsters. My luck had run out.

The fin reached the shallows, and its movement changed. It lightly bounced, as though the thing it was attached to was walking, rather than swimming. Then a huge, crocodilian snout breached the surface. It sported teeth that had to be four inches long, set on jaws that could double as logging equipment. Piercing orange eyes followed the ferocious maw, set on an angry looking head, at the end of a serpentine neck. Then came its huge shoulders.

The beast hoisted itself ashore, moving on all fours with an almost dog-like gait. Its forelegs held black claws the size of my whole shoe, and then some. The monstrous creature pulled the last of its massive girth onto land. It was a mountain of lean muscle, and dark grey scales, that stood at least 18 feet tall. The sail I’d been watching ran down its back, and easily added another six or seven feet to its total height. Spinosaurus. Based on fossil records I remember, this creature was believed to be the largest predatory land animal the Earth had ever produced, and it came ashore maybe a hundred yards away from me.

It shook the water from its head and peered curiously around. I'm not ashamed to admit I pissed myself when the thing locked eyes with me. It sniffed at the air towards me and cocked its head.

"Don't run." I thought. "If you run, it will chase you." I drew my spear and stood my ground. But at that moment I knew I was about to die.

After what was easily the tensest moment of my entire existence, it lost interest in me. It turned itself back towards the water and waded in. I could feel each footstep dozens of yards away. It moved out until it was about half submerged, its head reaching for something. The sea was tinged red near where it searched. Then its body tensed, and began to strain. It was dragging something. Slowly but surly the titanic beast pulled another horror from the water. It was a bloody, and slashed up shark. For the most part it looked like a regular shark, aside from being the length (and almost the girth) of a city bus. Most likely, it was a Megaladon, the Great white shark’s oversized ancestor.

Giant sharks, giant reptiles. I'd been lucky. I'd been really lucky. I couldn’t possibly fight things like this armed with nothing but rocks and sticks. How could I possibly survive? Thinking on it just made my panic even worse.

The Spinosaurus finished dragging its prey ashore and moved around where it had access to its belly. It clawed open the carcass, and seized hold of the flesh with its long jaws. It put one foot down on it to hold it steady as it tore a bloody chunk, which probably weighed more than I did, away from the carcass. It chewed a bit then threw back its head and swallowed it down. I felt queasy. I still couldn't move.

It wasn't until Joey nibbled my leg that I snapped out of my stupor. I began by slowly backing away, trying to time it for when the thing was busy tearing off another hunk of monster shark. Finally, Joey and I made it around a corner.

Only then did I run. I picked Joey up and threw him over my shoulder before sprinting for all I was worth. I swam across a small river where I barely dodged a huge piranha-looking fish. I ignored the other danger. I had to get as far away from the monster as possible. It wasn't until I crossed the river, and sprinted to the far side of the second island that I let myself collapse in exhaustion. I just lay there, panting and despairing.

Once again, little Joey rescued me from my stupor. Once he’d recovered from being dumped on his head after I collapsed, he worked his head under my arm and snuggled close, nudging my face with his nose. Thank the gods for the little guy. Giving him a hug made me feel a little less alone.

My dad’s lessons rang out in my head, and I pushed the despair away. Survival was admittedly going to be a lot more difficult than I initially expected, and I never expected it to be easy. But I could do it. I had to. If I didn't, I died.

I checked Joey for wounds. Thankfully, he was fine. After that, I had no clue what to do next. I spent at least an hour trying to think up my next move, but everything I came up with just presented more danger.

Pay attention though, readers. This was where I learned that there’s a lot more to this island than just the dinosaurs.

It started as a glowing light in the sky. "Aw, what the hell is this shit now?" I thought glumly. The light became a long shaft that went straight to the ground. It was bright green in color. As I watched, I saw an object within the light beam slowly descend.

Completely flummoxed, and without any other ideas, I set off towards this anomalous light with Joey at my heels. It was further away than I realized. I had to climb a rocky hill and traverse some thick trees to reach the point where the strange light touched the ground. By the time I reached it, the object I'd seen had ceased descending, and now hovered a foot or two above the sand. It was a giant three-dimensional diamond shaped... thing. Aside from the glowing light, it looked a lot like a larger version of the diamond in my wrist. I cautiously approached, and slowly reached out to touch the metallic looking object that casually defied all the laws of physics, as I knew them.

My wrist implant blinked with light, which caused some sort of reaction in the thing. Panels in it opened. I peered into the compartment that had opened up. To my astonishment, there were supplies inside. A hat made of leather, an axe better crafted than my own (still made of rock and wood though), a simple spyglass, which I grabbed immediately, some fresh berries, and a paper of some sort.

I was cautious, because I was convinced this was some sort of trap, but I wasn’t about to turn down useful tools. Carefully, I grabbed all the things I could use first before investigating the paper. I grinned as I looked over it. It was blueprints. They provided detailed instructions on how to build, I shit you not, a saddle for a parasaurolophus. Riding on dinosaurs. Why the hell hadn't I thought about that? And why hadn’t these blueprints appeared in my “engrams?”

As I removed the last of the usable things from the odd floating supply crate (I guess), I began to ponder. Was it some sort of space age technology? Was it a God pulling a deus ex machina? Hell, maybe I was in a coma and it was all some sort of fever dream. Made about as much sense as anything here. I couldn't help but think back on my theory that I was trapped in some alien game show. What the hell was the deal with this place?

After floating there ominously for about five minutes, a sudden flash of light blinded me. When I looked again, the floating diamond box and the beam of green light it arrived in were gone.

I sat there trying to process what had happened. How did it float? What was that beam of light? Where did these supplies come from? I had no answers. I could only sit there thinking “…so that just happened.”

With my useful new tools, I decided to carefully head back towards my old home. I wanted to find my other friends, Petey and Paula along with my gaggle of Dodos. Using my map and compass, I figured out where I was, and cut across the island hoping that if I traveled through the woods, I’d be less noticeable if the Spinosaurus was hunting me. I climbed high up the hills to see if I could get a good view over the trees. It was a bit of a trek, but I finally managed to get a good view of the old peninsula. Using my spyglass, I scouted things out. The Spinosaurus itself was nowhere to be found. The bloody remains of its meal sat on the beach, right where it left them.

At first I thought my hut was deserted, but then, to my dismay, I saw movement. I was to far away to make out details, but I’d recognized that waddling gait anywhere. My idiot dodos had returned to the hut. Not even a two-story behemoth could chase them off. There was no sign of Petey or Paula, though.

Before I could launch a daring rescue, I wanted to scale a nearby hill for an even better view. I put my new spyglass away and climbed higher. When I reached the peak I got a good look at more of the terrain, as well as something new that I couldn’t explain.

Something that made me completely forget about rescuing my friends for a quarter of an hour while I tried fruitlessly to make sense of it. I’m sure all of you reading have seen them already. I’d been staying on that same peninsula for my first few weeks, so I never actually saw it until now.

From the top of that little mountain, I got a perfect view. Miles north of me, there was a giant... structure, just... floating in the sky. It seemed to only be supported by the bright green light that seemed to be shooting at the ground. Near the top was another diamond shape that glowed with energy. Perhaps that was where the green light came from? The big black floating obelisk had no answers, it just kept hovering there, looming over the entirety of the island like a big creepy science fiction… thing.

When I say these things are big, I mean it. They seem to qualify as landmasses all on their own, dwarfing the mountains, forests, and swamps around them. But it was definitely not a landmass, not a natural one anyway. The lights all over it, the green beam that fired towards the ground, the black sheen. Whatever it was, it was technological. Couldn’t be a coincidence that it had a diamond motif. It was probably the same tech as the device in my wrist, as well as the “supply drop” I encountered earlier.

In bewilderment I looked away. I gazed west, back towards my peninsula, and I discovered another “Obelisk.” This one was closer, maybe a few miles from where I’d been living. It was identical to the green one aside from one difference: the beam of light emitted by this one was bright red. There’s a third one, a blue one, far to the north. The three of them form a triangle across the island. They just hover there, hundreds of meters off the ground, impossible and right in front of you all at once.

That was the moment when it really hit home for me. I wasn’t going home. What was happening here was beyond my comprehension. I’ve got my theories, but I still don’t have answers. I think the three obelisks are the key to the mystery, but who the hell knows how.

This is getting philosophical and I’m starting to feel sad, so I think I’m going to stop writing for the night. If you’re here on the island, I’m sure you’ve seen the obelisks. I’m guessing they made you feel smaller than even the dinosaurs could, like they did to me. I’ll share some theories eventually. At the time, they were just another soul scarring mystery to add to my list. There’s more to tell though. Once I pulled myself together on that mountain, I got back to rescuing my friends. I’ll have to tell that story later.


	5. Entry 5: That is a very large animal...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne attempts to retrieve her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a
> 
> Liberties were taken with the gameplay of course...

I might be in trouble. My lack of painkillers is catching up to me. My leg is healing, but it’s been agony. Everything hurts, and more alarmingly I’ve been feeling… sick. I checked my wrist implant. The medical page shows my temperature is up, and displays a less-than-helpful prompt that says, “sickness detected.”

 

I don’t know what I’m sick with, or how to fight it and I’ve been stupidly ignoring it all day. The Raptors felled a few small animals and brought them home, so I got some skinning and chopping done. Some of the meat’s in the smoker, and the rest is in the carnivore food trough. The rest of the day I spent filling leather bags with berries to refill the herbivore trough, but between the pain and my own exhaustion, that was all I could handle. I ate a healthy meal, and I’ll be resting up. Let’s hope I can kick this…

 

When last I wrote, an angry Spinosaurus had chased me out of my home, and then I made some startling discoveries in the form of weird sci-fi technology that floats in the sky.

 

I sat on that mountaintop trying to make sense of it all for about an hour. The survivor in me got me back to my feet. The obelisks, the “supply drops,” all of that could wait. For now, I had to find my Parasaurs, and possibly rescue my Dodos.

 

I tore my eyes away from that impossible thing and turned my attention back towards the peninsula. Using my spyglass, I scanned the nearby beaches for any sign of Petey and Paula. There were no signs of the Parasaurs on that side of the river, so I began scanning the side I was on. I did spot a few of them wandering the beach a long ways off, but it was hard to tell if they were Petey or Paula or just some wild beasts. I figured it was the best I had for now, and as long as I had a hill and a river between the Spinosaurus and me, I felt relatively safe.

 

Joey and I carefully descended the small mountain and made our way through some dense forest, slowly making our way to the beach. As I emerged from the brush, I let out a gasp that was something between fear and awe, before diving back into shrubs and hiding as best I could. The monstrous orange sail had appeared, and it was moving.

 

I prayed silently. “Please don’t eat my Dodos.” Despite being hundreds of yards away on the other side of a river, it was still huge, terrifying, and… beautiful. There’s the dino fan girl you all love. The orange colored sail, the charcoal skin, the flecks of blue, along with its enormous and powerful frame… what a magnificent beast. It glanced at my birds, who found their survival instinct and waddled away. Thankfully, the creature ignored them and after a brief pause to sniff at my hut, it waded into the water. I breathed a sigh of relief as the mighty monster slipped beneath the surface. So long as I kept an eye on the water and stayed near the trees, I was confident I could evade it.

 

I searched the beach for my missing friends. The first Parasaur we met wasn't familiar to me. It stirred at my approach and nervously moved away. I raised my arms in surrender to it and made my way around. Thankfully the next one I found was Paula. When she spotted me she came bounding happily up the beach to greet me. I stroked her head and hugged her neck.

 

It took a bit more wandering before Petey turned up, but luckily he found us well before the swamp to the north was in sight. He came walking out of the woods looking kind of sullen. Then he saw me and just like Paula, he came running over like a happy dog. Big goof.

 

With my Parasaurs in tow, I headed back down the beach, debating whether or not I should rescue the Dodos the entire time. My dad would have certainly said no. They were too dumb and too weak to be of any use to me. I could tame more Dodos. They respond well to free food and a warm fire.

 

Sadly for my continued safety, my idiot conscience wouldn't shut up. It kept reminding me of how the birds had bravely come to my aid when I was attacked by a Dilo. I also remembered that first night, when Freddy had blundered right up to me, eaten my food, and somehow "borked" his way into my heart.

 

Despite the stupidity of it, I knew I couldn't just leave Freddy and the others to die. I convinced Petey, Paula, and Joey to stay put, then I scanned for that huge orange fin. Thankfully there was still no sign of it.

 

The sun was setting at this point. If I was going to rescue the Dodos, then I had to move soon. The night on this Island terrifies me… I had no plan, though. How was I going to get the birds across the river where giant ass piranhas lurked?

 

Sighing at my own stupidity and cursing my idiot conscience, I left the others and moved down the beach, seeking a shallow enough spot to cross. The spot I found was still too deep to walk across, but it was clear, so I'd be able to see the fish coming. It was also narrow, so the swim across would be short. This was likely the best I could do. I waded in and crossed as fast as I could. Once I made it ashore I moved slowly, keeping my eyes peeled and my ears open for the sound of thunderous footsteps.

 

The daylight was almost all gone when I reached my shack. The Dodos spotted me and started squawking but they didn't move from the fire pit. I rolled my eyes and whistled at them, trying to coax them to move, but they were determined to get me to make a fire. Stupid birds. I walked over to them and started physically moving them with my feet. Just when I thought they'd gotten the message, all of them, all eight, moved around me, and waddled straight back to the fire pit.

 

I didn't have any berries to bribe them with. I decided I could try to gather some but as I turned to move, I saw the sail in the water. It was moving straight for me. For the second time that day I felt panic welling up in me.

 

I knew if I ran, it would catch me. With no other options, I grabbed up all the Dodos in one big fluff ball and sprinted into my shack, flinging the door closed. I dropped the birds, drew my spear, and held my breath, praying to anything that would listen that the monster outside wouldn't notice me. I heard the thundering sound of its footfalls as it made its way up my beach. They stopped meters away. I heard breathing, and hissing.

 

"Walk away" I thought. "Just walk away." Just when I thought my ass couldn't clench any tighter it took a step closer. I heard it sniffing. Helplessly I watched as the flimsy thatch walls bowed inwards towards me. Chills ran through me. The smell of sweat and terror were strong in my nose. I’m assuming that was its snout, nudging against the walls. Then, much to my dismay, the door began to fall open. The sniffing stopped, and for a moment, everything went quiet.

 

Then a toothy snout pushed its way through the doorway. I let out an involuntary cry even as I raised my spear, ready to jam it up the thing’s nose if I had to, but the massive creature’s movements within the doorway caused the entire wall to collapse and fall away. The Spino shook the splintered remains of my doorway off its snout. Then it peered into the opening it had made, right into my soul, with orange eyes and slanted reptilian pupils. Once again I felt my bladder release itself, but in that moment, I again remembered my dad.

 

It had been on a camping trip when he'd advised me on what I should do if I encountered a wild animal. His advice? "Pretend you're something scarier. Don't show ‘em you’re afraid." I wondered if pissing myself meant it was too late for that, but there had been more to what he said. "Watch its stance, don't pick a fight unless you absolutely have to, and pretend like you're bigger and scarier. That works on most of the animals you'll see around here. See, Rayne, most things don't want to fight for their food. It wastes energy and could lead to injury. So if they see you, and you look like you aren't afraid, they’re gonna wonder if you’re safe to eat. Shout at ‘em, threaten ‘em, but be careful not to provoke them. Look scary and try to get away." That had been the gist of his lesson.

 

Unfortunately for me, this thing was willing to fight a giant-ass shark to the death. I seriously doubt it was worried about risking injury on the likes of me. Furthermore, I was trapped. Cornered in my own shack, I couldn't back away if I wanted to. What else had Dad said? "Watch its stance. If it's moving forward and looking mean and scary, it's hungry and you’re gonna have no choice but to scare it off or put it down. If it's just sort of sniffing, leaning in but not getting too close, it's probably just curious.”

 

As the seconds ticked by, I took in all the info I could. The beast’s body was actually angled away from me, not towards me, like it was ready to back away if it needed to. I felt its breath wash over me, and I smelled fish, so it must have eaten. It might not be hungry. Furthermore, its teeth weren't bared and its claws rested in the sand. There was very little tension in its body, as far as I could see. All the info I gathered lead me to one conclusion: it wasn't hunting.

 

It was investigating; it was curious. I watched and waited for a change in its posture. If it leaned forward, it may have decided we were free food. I refused to obey my brain, which demanded I run screaming until I found safety in my crappy apartment back in the real world where Spinosaurus no longer existed. Instead, I stood my ground, poised to lash out at a moments notice. Its posture didn't change. Instead, it slowly leaned its head in, but kept its body angled away, tensing to back away if it had to. Not that it was frightened. It was being cautious. When its snout was less than a meter away, it sniffed at me a few times, the wind tugged at my shirt. Once it had sniffed, it leaned back a safe distance where I couldn’t immediately strike it. It tilted its head a bit, giving it a clearer line of sight. I watched its eye peer quizzically around.

 

I had to make a statement. I let adrenaline fuel my actions after that. I took a deep breath and shouted as powerfully as I could. While I roared, I swung the spear threateningly, smacked it against the ground, and waved it as aggressively as I could. The noise and movement startled the beast, who backed up a step. When my breath ran out, I inhaled and roared again. This time, I dashed towards the Spino, but stopped after a few feet and backed up. I then paced, trying to look as threatening as I could while I yelled, growled and barked at it.

 

I could only hope I sent the right message. "I'm scarier than you, I don't want to fight, but I will if you make me." After I paced a few times, I stopped and locked eyes with the beast again. I snarled and brandished my spear. If I hadn't done this right, it's possible I'd only signaled to the creature that I was an enemy. As my dad had told me, the goal was to LOOK scary. You never actually pick a fight with an animal unless you had no other choice. I think that’s doubly true when it’s the size of a house.

 

Obviously it didn't kill me, as I'm still here writing this. My display of bullheaded stupidity seemed to do the trick, or maybe it just took pity on me. Having successfully investigated the strange wooden box and the little monkey girl who lived there, it decided to leave, but not before making a statement of its own. It bared its teeth and leaned in close, releasing a snarling hissing growl that vibrated my bones (seriously, Lindsay, you’ve got 15 feet and several tons on me… was that really necessary? I’m already intimidated). Somehow, I managed to stay on my feet, but I did retreat a few steps. If I'd had anything left in my bladder I'm sure I'd have emptied it into my pants yet again. As it was, I just stood there, tense and prepared to attack. But my retreat satisfied it. It backed off and lumbered away, back towards the shallows a ways up the beach.

 

Once I felt it was far enough away, I fell to my knees and puked. I puked up everything I had and then I puked some more. My tense muscles were screaming and the adrenaline was still coursing through me, making me feel even sicker.

 

I was alive. I stared down a Spinosaurus and lived... don't try this. If you read this, don't try it. To this day, I don't know if I just got lucky or not. I know now that Lindsay in particular has a (relatively) patient personality. Others like her are likely to run you down and eat you as soon as they see you. Even if you do meet one like Lin, there's no guarantee you'll convince them not to kill you. I only did what I did because I got myself trapped. I'd advise you not to go stupidly rescuing Dodo birds, either. Although, if a friend isn't worth risking your life for… I don't know what is. Just don't be stupid about it. It's so easy to get killed.

 

I forced myself back to my feet. Angrily, I gathered the idiot birds and physically carried them across the river, a few at a time. We joined up with Petey and the others, and then we ventured through the trees. Joey and I passed a flat spot on our way down before, and I figured it was as good a place as any to camp for the night. I built us a small fire to keep the idiots from trying to go back to the big hungry giant’s house.

 

Man, what an ordeal that had been. I’ll explain more later. I’ll have to tell about how I learned to ride the Parasaurs, and how eventually I returned to my old hut, but I think my illness has gotten the best of me for now. I’m going to attempt to sleep it off.


	6. Entry 6: Biggest of them All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne finds reason to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

I’m still sick. Also, the freaking Raptors figured out how to open my meat shed. Thankfully they weren’t greedy. They scarfed a few bites and wandered away as I hobbled up shouting. The Dilos, on the other hand, didn’t show as much restraint. Harriet was stuffed like a turkey. Hopefully I heal soon enough to go hunting for more meat. These things are lucky I love them.

 

As for my illness… I definitely feel worse. I’m overheated, my limbs feel weak, and my leg is all itchy. Things aren’t looking great.

 

Anyway, where was I? Ah, I’d survived staring down an angry Spinosaurus. Not gonna lie. That shit gives you balls of steel. I'm not a man, but I still had bigger balls than anything on this Island at that moment. After surviving that ordeal (and damn near an hour of trying to clean my pants with seawater) I made a new friend... sort of.

 

I had trouble gathering enough berries to feed myself and my friends, so I hunted a wild Dodo (I cleaned it far away from the innocent eyes of my brood). Damn it if that isn’t a tasty bird. After my meal, I cooked the rest of the meat, just to make it last longer. The smell must have drawn this little guy in.

 

It was a Dilo. It charged in with a shrill squawk, but with my now enormous balls, I was having none of the carnivore’s shit. That night I straight up punched a venomous flesh eater, right across its face. The poor little guy went out like a light. I'd already grabbed my spear for a kill when I stopped and got a good look at the little fella in the firelight. He was a scrawny, almost emaciated little thing. He'd likely charged me out of hungry desperation. My dad would have made the kill without hesitation... but I have my own ways.

 

I decided I didn't need to make the kill. In fact, I grabbed some half cooked meat off the fire and brought it over to the dazed creature. The scent seemed to rouse the thing from its stupor and it wolfed the offering down hungrily. I returned to the fire and sat, not taking my eyes off him. He eyed the fireside: the two Parasaurs who were agitated by his presence, the Dodos, who just sat their stupidly oblivious, Joey who stood defensively at my side, and me.

 

At first, it made a move on one of my stray Dodos, but a shout and smack to the ground with my spear let him know that I wasn't going to allow that. Instead, I pulled some more meat off the fire, and offered it to him. He seemed so perplexed by the whole situation, but after feeding him and letting him rest by the fire, he seemed to decide he'd like to stick with me. I kept a close eye on him, and it took a long time to soothe the nerves of my herbivorous friends, but after a few days, the little guy became a trusted friend. He made a great guard dog at night while we were sleeping out in the wilderness. If something dangerous happened by, he'd let out his shrill cry and spit his stingy gobs at the threat. That gave me plenty of time to rouse myself and help him finish the danger off. I decided to call him Hank.

 

Hank was a milestone. The first carnivore I managed to tame and befriend. Taming them and caring for them is a bit more work. You can’t just grab a fistful of berries to feed them. To keep their bellies full, something has to die. Make the choice on whether or not you’re okay with that early. It will save you a lot of heartache. Hank proved to me that just because something has to kill to survive, it’s not always a brainless brute. He was inquisitive and shy, but he staunchly came to my aid when trouble appeared.

 

The first night he stayed with us was a little harrowing. I managed to fall asleep for a bit, but I don’t think poor Joey or the Parasaurs slept a wink. They were too scared of the carnivore in our midst.

 

The next morning, he earned my trust. I woke up to his shrill cry. A group of ants the size of gophers were advancing on us. Be careful in the forests. Groups of these things are everywhere. Luckily for me, I’ve never encountered a nest of them or anything, but they always attack in groups. Also, some of them fly… They aren’t that much of a threat so long as you react accordingly. Kill them quick. Their bites are strong.

 

A group of seven marched out of the woods at me. I got myself off the ground and grabbed my club, ready for smashing. I kept the bugs away from my Dodos as Petey and Paula roused themselves. Most of them were pulp before they could get close, but then I was blindsided by a few flyers. They came right at my head. I lost focus for a bit (and by that I mean I started screaming and flailing my arms), so Hank stepped up to defend the Dodos in my place. He got himself in front of the ants and started grabbing them in his mouth to crush them to death. It wasn’t much of a fight, but I was thankful for his assistance when it was over. On the plus side, free breakfast! Eating bug grossed me out at first, and even now I feed most bug meat to the carnivores, but when you cook the ants right… it’s a little like crab. Man, I wish I'd had butter...

 

After eating, I decided the woods were a bad place to camp. There were plenty more ants and other nasties hiding there. I got us moving, and we made our way across to the other side of the island, while keeping my eyes open for a new home. During this walk, I made a discovery almost as monumental as the giant obelisks. It was mostly hidden by foliage, but I spotted it from a single exposed wall. It was brick. A wall made of brick. I almost sprinted straight to it. It was definitely a structure (or at least it used to be) and, though I'm not an expert on such things, it seemed safe to say that the thing was man made.

 

No way to tell what the structure used to be, all that was left was a wall and a pillar, and they looked old. Really, really old. Again, I'm no expert, but it was covered in plant growth and looked incredibly... crumbly. It gave me the impression that these ruins were dozens, or maybe hundreds of years old.

 

There were people here at one time, and maybe there still were. I might not be alone. It was a tiny ray of hope. As I circled I found something weird. It was small metal box. Unlike the structure it looked clean and new. I tried to grab it off its crumbly stone pedestal, but bizarrely, I couldn’t. The box was immovable, sealed to the stone as though it was built to be a part of it. I have no idea why the hell this was. I tried opening it instead, and it gave easily.

 

Inside were more papers, but these weren't blueprints. They seemed to be research notes on creatures of this place, specifically, the Dilophosaurus. According to the heading at the top, they were penned by someone named “Helena Walker.” I glanced at Hank as I read through them. It was a dossier containing basic info on the creatures. Their hunting patterns, their basic appearance, stuff like that. More importantly though, there’s a section on how “tribes” utilize them. I was more interested in “tribes.” Helena was living on an island like me, only their island had enough humans on it that they organized themselves into tribes for survival.

 

Without prattling on, the implications of that first dossier were huge for me. I felt hopeful again. Just so you know, I eventually discovered there are more ruins and more notes like this one. I’ve found writings from four different people thus far. Keep an eye open for these old buildings and crates. The info they contain is invaluable. I’ll explain more about the people who wrote this stuff some other time. Their notes are here, and I’m still alone, that’s all that matters right now. At least I know there were other people now. I felt a little less… hopeless.


	7. Entry 7: This Place is Mean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne has a few setbacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Holy shit. Shit shit and more shit. Tyrannosaurs guys. This island has them. Shit. On top of sighting a fucking predator king, my illness has escalated. Things really can’t get much worse for me… but there is good news.

 

When I hobbled outside this morning, I saw a light in the sky, signaling the arrival of a supply diamond. A purple one this time. Colors usually indicate quality, with the best I’ve seen so far being from the blue ones (blueprints for Raptor saddles), but I hadn’t seen a purple one before.

 

I went to investigate with Iggy and the Raptors. It was a chore in my condition. My fever is worse, my leg is still sore, and generally I’m not feeling great. But that supply drop came with something that might help. Along with a supply of wood, a nice metal hand axe, and some new leather shoes, there was a paper with a recipe on it. “Rockwell Recipes” was written along the top. Rockwell is one of the four survivors that left notes behind. I haven’t found too many of his, but he claims to be a 17th or 18th century British explorer and scientist. I’m not convinced I believe those claims, but I am stuck on Dinosaur Island, maybe its not too farfetched that people from different time periods ended up here with the extinct and hungry fauna.

 

He carried a lot of clout among the tribes of the island. He’d also experimented on the flora here and come up with useful recipes. The new recipe I have is for what he calls “medical brew.” It sounds too good to be true, but I’m desperate. The fever has me dehydrated, and just walking to the water for a drink is becoming a chore.

 

While I was reading through the ingredients, a sound reached us. Iggy and the Raptors stiffened and turned their heads towards the noise in unison. They were like deer in headlights. “Well that’s not a good sign.” I listened intently, and felt a familiar feeling of dread bubbling up in my stomach. That sound was a roar. It wasn’t loud, but that’s only because it was coming from far away. Whatever made it must have been huge.

 

I crawled weakly onto Iggy’s back and got us moving towards home. The journey to the supply drop hadn’t been arduous, but it was long. We stuck to beaches the whole time. Out of terrified curiosity, I took us up a hill and dismounted. For a time I scanned the distant areas to the North. I could make out the shapes of long-necked sauropods that dwarfed Snugglebug. Brachiosaurs? Apatosaurus? They couldn’t have produced the roar, could they?

 

Then, a ghostly figure burst from the trees. Thick legs carried a massive muscled body, along with a huge head. Its teeth were unnecessarily fucking long and plentiful. It even had the stubby little two-fingered arms. Tyrannosaurus. I’m not sure of the species but I’m pretty comfortable thinking of it as a “Rex.” The "Terrible Lizard King" itself. This particular specimen was stark white. I wonder if that was normal, or if it was an albino of sorts.

 

Out of morbid curiosity, I watched events unfold. The pair of titanic longnecks dwarfed the predator in size, and they battled valiantly, swinging their tails hard enough to knock over nearby trees. Sadly for them, their attacker was relentless. It killed both of them in less than twenty minutes. I had to look away when it began violently tearing the corpses apart. It didn’t even seem to be eating them. If there’s more of those things, and they’re all like that… I’m fucked. I got us home as quick as possible after that.

 

I can worry about monsters later. First I need to save myself from dying of sickness. Medical brew is made by boiling berries and pastes and such. When warm, the mixture can be ingested as medicine. When cooled, it solidifies and works as a salve. It tastes like year-old gym socks, but hopefully it will be worth it. I just drank some and applied it to my leg. I want to keep writing my story, so until I fall asleep, that’s what I’ll do…

 

Back to where I left off, leaving the forest… I knew I needed to find a new home for my friends and I, away from terrier-sized ants and twenty-foot tall amphibians with too many teeth. So, my entourage and I went exploring. After wandering the beach for most of the early morning, I was nearly killed again. I met the Island’s Raptors for the first time. They’re every bit as vicious as Jurassic Park (if your from an earlier time period or something… it’s a story about dinosaurs) lead us to believe.

 

We made our way along the beach, pausing every so often so the Dodos could catch up, when a blur emerged from the brush and leapt on Paula’s back before I even had a chance to react. I managed to smack the thing off of her with my spear, but that only pissed it off. Next thing I knew, my arm was in something’s jaws, and my torso was being raked by claws. If Hank and Petey hadn't been there, the damn thing might have killed me. Hank hit it first with a gob of acid to the eye. That startled it enough to release me, and I scrambled away. Before it could recover, Petey barreled into it. Parasaurs are a bit cowardly, but they're still several hundred pounds of animal. The Raptor went sprawling to the dirt. I grabbed up my spear and jabbed the attacker right in the throat. I had to stab it several more times to make it stop kicking its claws around.

 

When it was finally over, I marveled at the creature. Raptors are some of my favorite dinosaurs, Velociraptors in particular. This wasn't a Velociraptor though. It was far too large. Deinonychus maybe? Utahraptor? I wasn't sure. It was still beautiful, in a sleek, deadly, cunning sort of way. Shimmering feathers adorned its arms, and neck. Its feet were like a bird’s talons, and one of its toes is bigger than the others, and kinda looks like a sickle. It was a stunning beast. I got to work skinning and cleaning it, but I moved quick. I feared there were more. Raptors were always thought to be pack hunters.

 

Turned out I was right. We were accosted by two more Raptors not ten minutes later. One of the Dodos, Toy Chica, didn't make it. Petey and Paula had some nasty looking wounds by the end, and the leather shirt I had been wearing had been shredded, but we managed to kill the pair of predators by working together.

 

I’m not ashamed to admit I cried a little when I cradled Toy Chica’s little broken body in my arms. She somehow looked just as clueless in death as she did in life. I couldn't bring myself to eat her, so I carried her into the brush, taking Hank with me. I let him have the body, but I didn't watch. I kept one of her feathers. It still stays with other tokens I’ve taken from fallen friends, my way of remembering those that fought for me.

 

I cleaned those Raptors and used their hide to make a new shirt. Next, I got a fire built, and cooked as much of the meat as I could, then I wrapped up the gashes on my Parasaurs. While I was in the middle of that, a roar interrupted me. I moved all my friends down the beach. When I looked back, I felt the color drain from my face. Another large beast had emerged from the brush and was busy munching on the dead Raptors I left behind. At first, I thought it was a T-Rex. It was a bipedal predator with small vestigial forelimbs, but the small horns on its head let me know it wasn’t a Rex. Carnotaurus. They’re twelve feet of sprinting, angry, carnivore. Watch out for them. That one was too busy chowing down to pay us any attention. All the same, we headed west (at a nice terrified pace), back the way we came.

Another Raptor attacked in the night, and Hank saved us by screeching. We killed the thing, but another grabbed Bonnie and ran into the night. I’m sorry Bonnie. Two Dodos lost in one evening. I couldn't sleep after that, so I kept watch, and kept the fire burning. As the sun rose, I spotted more Raptors skulking around the area. I wondered briefly why I hadn't seen more of them sooner. Why did they avoid the part of the Island where I woke up? Were they afraid of the Spinosaurus? The water? Open ground?

 

All those things were available back on the peninsula. What was worse? One large predator, or a whole bunch of little ones? I made what some might call a "suicidal’ choice: I was going to take back my spot.

 


	8. Entry 8: Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A healing, and slightly pent-up Rayne, details her preparations for a showdown with a massive amphibious monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Holy shit, it’s working. Rockwell’s medical brew is working! I might not be dead after all! My leg looks way better, like the wound is closing properly, and my fever isn’t quite as terrible as it was. I’m still not well, and I woke up after a distinctly heated dream that reminded me just how lonely I’ve been, on top of feeling like shit. With the medical brew though, I think I’ll pull through.

 

My friends were happy to see me up and about. The Raptors chirped and hopped in glee, Samson the Triceratops glanced over and gave me a grunt, which for him was like a sloppy kiss on the mouth, the Parasaurs both trotted up to beg for chin scratches, and they all got happy hugs.

 

I even playfully yanked sticks away from the Dilos and soon an epic tug-of-war broke out between me, Harriet, and Horace.

 

So that was fun and heartwarming. After that I lay on the beach for a while in my skivvies. If only there’d been beautiful cabana boys around to serve me drinks.

 

Gosh it’s getting hot in here. Let’s get back to my epic struggle…

 

Like I was writing yesterday, exploring for a new spot proved to be a mistake. Carnotaurus and big Raptors were on the prowl. The Raptors were smart too. A couple of them kept stalking me, trying to thrust their toes into me. But the closer we got to my old peninsula, the further back they stayed. I took note of that.

 

While exploring up the hill earlier I had found a small clearing that overlooked my old beach. I moved us there and set it up as a temporary home. Water wasn’t nearby, and woods surrounded us, but this was a perfect location for my plans. I set up some rudimentary pens to keep the Dodos corralled, and then I got to work.

 

The concept was simple. I was going to tame the Spinosaurus, or at least convince it to tolerate me. The island was clearly too dangerous to continue wandering. I needed a base of operations, a safe zone. In my mind, nothing was safer than a place guarded by a super predator. The hard part, of course, was how the hell would I do it?

 

Well, I spent a little over a month preparing. First thing I did was use the blueprints I'd found to construct a saddle for a Parasaur. Took some time to gather the necessary amount of leather but, lucky for me, there were quite a few raptors around just giving away their hides.

 

Mine was ugly compared to the one pictured. Cutting Raptor leather with poorly sharpened stone is an inexact science at best, but it was functional. Petey shrank away a bit when I first began strapping him into it. He was especially unhappy about accepting the bit in his mouth. He honked at me and kept turning away, but an offering of mejoberries was all it took to soothe him. I had to make a few adjustments to get it to sit right on his back, but soon he was ready to ride.

 

I offered him a huge meal of more purple berries before I tried mounting him for the first time. Even then, he just got upset when I put my foot in the stirrup and tried to hoist myself up. I'm pretty sure that first attempt gave me a concussion. Goof bucked me right into a pile of rocks.

 

Eventually, I got Petey warmed up to the idea and soon he would let me climb onto his back without any fuss. I spent the next few weeks trying to master the art of Parasaur riding. For the most part, all the rules of horseback riding still apply. I nudged him with my heels to make him walk, but it took three days to get him to figure that out. A kick would make him run, a tug on the reigns would turn him in a desired direction… Petey was no horse, though.

 

Getting myself situated in a way that was comfortable for both of us was difficult. The first method I tried left him hobbling after an hour or so of riding. I determined the saddle was too far up and putting too much strain on the small of his back. So… I readjusted and tried again. We finally found a method that worked for us, and after a week or so, I could ride him like a pro.

 

With his help, it was easier to travel short distances. It helped me secure more supplies from those "supply box" things. Within them I found a recipe using the dark blue narcoberries and meat that had been left in the sun for a day to make a powerful narcotic substance.

 

More importantly, I also found a bow and some arrows. They proved to be instrumental in survival, generally, and more specifically taming new friends (as odd as that sounds). With all I'd found and learned, I returned home. I fashioned myself a mortar and pestle out of a few weird shaped rocks, and filled it with as many narcoberries and old meat as I could get. The paste-y, foul smelling substance I ended up with was indeed a powerful narcotic. I tested it on Freddy, and he went out like a light. I had a tranquilizing chemical, relatively easy to manufacture.

 

Next, I spent several days amassing the materials and crafting as many arrows as I could. I cannot stress enough how tedious it is to craft your own arrows. Making arrows out of stone and wood and fibers is hard enough. Can't imagine how much of a pain in the ass getting metal tipped arrows must be. I’ll need them some day. Stone just doesn’t pierce that deep.

 

A hitch in our plan developed. We were far enough from Lindsay the Spino to avoid her notice, but we weren’t far enough from Raptor territory. They started attacking at night. Made off with another of my Dodos. Rest In Peace, Balloon Boy. I needed to be better defended, especially at at night. I hoped learning to use the bow would make fighting them easier, but hitting a speedy Raptor with a bow was beyond me at the time. They were always there, watching, waiting for me to make a mistake. There had to be some way to scare them off.

 

I experimented with dipping the arrows in the narcotic substance. The tranq arrows made it easier to tame Dilophosaurs. The same day I dipped arrows in paste for the first time, I brought home two more of them, Hector and Helen. The next day I “recruited” a few more, a quick little guy named Horace, and stubborn bulky gal named Harriet.

 

Even with a good-sized squad of them, Dilo’s just weren’t intimidating to Raptors. I needed something bigger. Then, one day, I walked right into an angry Triceratops’ territory. Watch out for them. They’re pretty mean for herbivores. I stepped into the clearing without paying much heed to him, as the Triceratops (or Trikes) had been lukewarm towards me in the past. But this guy wasn’t happy about my presence at all. As I stepped into the clearing, he bellowed at me, hoisting himself up from his lie-down and stomping his feet angrily. I backed off as he lowered his horns towards me, as if threatening to use them on me if I came any closer.

 

I kept backing away, which made him stop stomping, but then little Hank trotted cheerfully into the clearing. The Trike’s nostrils flared, and I knew the predator’s presence was the last straw. Next thing I knew, I was sprinting through the forest with an angry Triceratops in hot pursuit. I took a few twisting turns through the trees, and before long, the big burly boy got himself stuck between some trees. I put it to sleep with more tranq arrows. Took a freaking mountain of purple berries to bribe him, but the beast finally came home with me. His name is Samson, and he’s a lovely blue-grey guy. Once Samson arrived, the Raptors finally left to find easier prey.

 

Feeling a lot safer, I got back to crafting arrows and tranq, as well as honing my riding, and my bow skills. Once I felt comfortable enough, I started trying to use my bow while riding on Petey’s back. My first attempt just about gave me another concussion. Trying to aim and stay balanced on his back, with no hands on the reigns, just overwhelmed me. I tumbled off into another pile of rocks. I swear the rocks materialize just so I can hurt myself.

 

Took another week or so of practice to get it down. It's all in the hips, really. So long as I kept my hips angled right, I could stay balanced while I fired an arrow. I haven’t used my hips that intensely since… Nevermind.

 

That was life for a long time. Gathering supplies, feeding my friends and I, crafting narcotic substances, and practicing riding, shooting, and shooting while riding. On top of that, I befriended some more Dodos, Ballora, Baby, and Toy Bonnie, as well as two more Lystrosaurus who were just as snugly as Joey. Their names are Gracie and Jack, after other pets I've had. I'm up to seven idiot birds and three snuggly goofballs.

 

After a month of riding, hunting, building, and going to sleep with my muscles in absolute agony, my abs were sculpted, my legs and arms were lean and powerful, and my hips were svelte and strong. I was as fit and sexy as I’d ever been, but I had nobody to share it with. It sucks (I might be feeling a bit isolated today).

 

In between all the surviving, I also began keeping a close eye on the Spinosaurus. I got to know her habits, her hunting patterns, and her combat strategies. Every so often smaller predators would show up, and force her to chase them off. This was when I gave her the name that meant so much to me. She reminded me so much of the Lindsay I once knew. She loved to swim, she was powerful, beautiful, curious, and fantastic at chasing away unwanted attention from predatory jerks. She also only hunted by necessity. That's an odd one to link to human Lindsay, but she once told me “I know what I want, and I know when I want it.” God the look she gave me when she whispered that to me… I’m so fucking lonely.

 

Anyway, once I learned all I could, I took a few more days to amass arrows, tranq arrows, and narcotics and stored them away in Petey’s saddlebags. I made sure he was fed and all his old wounds were healed, then I went to bed and slept as well as I could. The next morning, I was planning on doing something really, really stupid.

 


	9. Entry 9: Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne tries to tame an apex predator. Things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

This stuff is a freaking medical miracle. How does day old meat and some red berries concoct a potion that, as best I can tell, is knitting my flesh back together? It’s like fucking witchcraft. The wound stings and itches a bit, and I can feel it… tingling. I’m fairly sure that's Rockwell’s brew working its magic.

 

At this rate, I’ll be back to sprinting through jungles in a few days, tops. Sickness is all but gone, too. So, after a long night of doodling racy pictures followed by a very deep sleep, I woke up feeling pretty damn good.

 

I spent the day giving my friends all the love and treats that I could. The Raptors picked up on whistle commands on their own and have taken to following me around the homestead like a group of giant lethal baby ducks. Samson was his usual gruff self, but he closed his eyes in contentment when I rubbed his chin. He even gave me a lick after I left him some berry treats. Snugglebug has taken to playing with Lindsay. It’s pretty adorable. He gets all excited and bounds around. I swear he looks just like an excitable dog, except he’s as big as a two-story house.

 

Lindsay has been amazingly patient with him, and all of us really. She lets him nuzzle her and push her around, and she’ll even push back from time to time, creating a little wrestling match that typically moves earth around, or causes small tidal waves. It’s hard to express how grateful I am to that beast. I’m still not one hundred percent sure she likes me or likes having us living in her territory, though. She hasn’t shown any signs of aggression and she’s never gotten violent with any of my friends. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her. I caught her a nice fat fish, and after I threw it to her, and watched her snap it out of the air, she leaned in real close with her nose, her nostrils flared a bit as she sniffed at me. Then she leaned forward and tapped my chest with the tip of her snout. I can’t be sure… But I think that was a show of affection.

 

But I’ve kept you in suspense long enough. Let’s talk about how I put my plan to tame this big beautiful girl into action, and how that failed spectacularly…

 

Like I was saying, the night before the plan was enacted I finished making all the preparations I could. It still took the entirety of the next morning to talk myself into actually moving. I was rested, armed, and ready, but Spinosaurus is a terrifying 18-foot hunter, I’m a five-foot-seven monkey girl. I tried to ignore my own common sense. Petey was rested and looking strong that morning, I told him to put on his brave face for this. Poor guy… he had no clue what I was planning.

 

My plan, if all went smooth, wouldn't involve any fighting. It was simple, really. I'd ride over, gauge Lindsay's reaction to me, and hang around there as long as I could, watching her, then I would leave. Then I'd do that again the next day, and the next, until she became accustomed to me. If she got violent, I'd ride Petey to safety, and fire tranq arrows at her. The arrows would at least slow her down, and Petey should be quick enough to sprint away. I just needed to wait for Lindsay to eat next, and then I could head over when she wasn't hungry. So long as we didn’t get trapped over there with her, it should be a painless process.

 

Boy was that naïve of me… I watched her intently that morning, waiting for her to feed. I knew she hadn’t gone hunting the previous day, so she was most likely hungry. It was often hard to track her, as she would hang around somewhere up the inlet where I couldn’t see her.

 

That morning, I watched her drop into a pouncing pose, snarl at something and dash off to chase whatever it was. She charged up the inlet and out of sight. Soon I couldn't even see her fin over the hill. "Good, she caught something to eat." I thought. With that, I gathered up my things along with my courage, and I hopped onto Petey’s back. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the danger I was putting myself in. Before I could change my mind/come to my senses, I forced us to move.

 

We jogged up the beach. I kept us slow to conserve Petey’s stamina, until we reached the shallow area I'd been using to cross the river. So far so good. I scoped out the river and saw the dark, alarmingly large shapes of those monster piranhas darting about. Swimming across the river anywhere other than the shallows could be fatal. I stopped to weigh my options. With only one crossing point, I could easily get cut off. Fleeing to the north was out as that was where the swamp was, and I’ve seen some massive and terrifying shapes in there. It might be possible to flee to the west, but to do that I’d need to get around Lindsay, and furthermore, other than the big spooky floating red obelisk thing, I didn't know what was over there. I figured the best thing to do if Lindsay got violent was cross the river. Should I risk it and investigate? Or should I find a less suicidal idea? I went with suicide… We crossed the river and headed up the bank, right around the spot where I first tripped over Freddy.

 

We made our way south down the peninsula until we found a spot on the hill where we could climb up. Once up there, I pulled out my spyglass and began scouting. I hadn't heard Lindsay's thundering footsteps for a while. To my surprise, the inlet where she usually spent her time was empty. I'd waited a while hoping she'd eat whatever it was she'd chased over here. How could she have disappeared? There was no way a big thing like her could scale her way past those rocks and out of inlet, right?

 

On top of her being unnervingly absent, I didn't see a carcass anywhere, or even any blood. Had she caught anything? Maybe it was just a fish or a Dodo. If that were the case, she'd likely still be hungry. I stared nervously about, when Petey suddenly stiffened. His eyes were wide and alert and he stared north, into the trees near the swamp. “What’s up buddy? You smell something?” He definitely looked like he’d caught wind of something that frightened him, and let out a small, frightened bleat. I scanned the trees where he was looking, and my blood ran cold.

 

Lindsey was on top of the hill, in the trees, mostly obscured by foliage. She must have climbed past the rocks after all. I’m amazed it took me so long to spot her, but once you realized what those big shadows were, it was hard to unsee. At the moment, she was still a safe distance away from me, but she was looking right at us. I almost pissed myself again. Petey backed away in fright when she pushed her way through the branches, shattering them as she went. She took a few steps forward, and before I knew it, she was closer to the shallow crossing spot on the river than I was. If I tried dashing for it, she would likely get there first, she'd cut me off from my preferred exit. All the while she kept those piercing orange eyes on Petey and I.

 

I took a deep breath. The worst-case scenario was about to play out. I was going to have to fight with Lindsay. Maybe I’d get lucky and she wouldn’t be hungry?

 

She dashed that thought by leaping forward into a bounding run, straight at us. “Oh, balls.” This time I didn't freeze up. I had prepared for this. I was ready. I breathed deep, letting adrenaline course through me, sharpening my senses, and tensing my muscles. Petey however was shaking in fear. I placed a comforting hand on him, before taking a deep breath and letting out a battle roar. With that I drew my bow and dug my heels into my friend’s side.

 

I let my first arrow fly as Petey ran perpendicular to Lindsay, descending the narrow hill we'd been on. The arrow struck Lindsay in the chest, but her speed didn't falter; she barely registered the hit. She just flinched a bit and kept charging. But she couldn't stay on her current course. She skidded to a halt before she tumbled down the hill into some nasty looking boulders. I watched her snarl in frustration. Her roars vibrated my very bones. Petey and I were down the hill and running right past her, just out of reach. I put three more arrows in her side as I went. Lindsay moved herself carefully down the hill to continue her pursuit. She probably thought she could corner us in the inlet.

 

I had maybe thirty seconds to figure out what to do before Lindsay would overtake us. I chose to go north. Lindsay had managed to climb the hill before, and that meant we could too. As Petey sprinted as fast as he could, I scanned the rocks and found a spot that wasn't as steep as the rest and steered him towards it. We climbed frantically. I didn't look back, but I heard Lindsay's thunderous footfalls drawing closer and closer. I leaned forward, giving Petey some extra weight to throw around, and then I grinned as we pulled ourselves up the steep rocky incline, out of the inlet, and up the cliff side.

 

Lindsay snarled in rage meters behind me as I heard her skid to a halt. She was too big to climb the rocks as quickly as we had. Every time she slowed down, her prey got farther away, and she knew it. I glanced back and when I saw her standing there searching for a way up, I pulled on the reins, bringing Petey to a halt. I pulled out my bow and took careful aim. My arrow found its mark, right around where I imagined her ear would be, and shoved a nice dose of narcotics right to the brain area.

 

Lindsay felt that one. She bellowed in anger, and tried to force her way up the hill to continue her pursuit. After another shot hit her in the neck, she stumbled on the rocks and ended up tumbling back down to the beach. The impact launched a cloud of sand in all directions.

 

I channeled my inner Legolas and put no less than five more arrows into her. The second time she charged up the hill, she managed to pull herself up, and the chase was back on, but not before I put another arrow or two into her chest. Petey got us moving long before she was all the way up and ready to keep running.

 

We were heading west along the cliff tops. Lindsay was hot on our heels, but even though we'd pulled ahead, I didn't let Petey slow down.

 

I saw a gap in the boulders alongside us and I pulled Petey to the right. We darted around several boulders and trees and found ourselves on a rocky plain. There were plenty of boulders to hide us. I made up my mind to stay out of the open, so Petey and I darted behind a nearby pile of rocks. Finally, I let him rest, if only for a moment. I listened as Lindsay bounded after us, almost shaking the ground as she moved.

 

She rounded the corner and peered out into the plain, scanning for a sign of us. I heard her sniffing and cursed; she'd follow our scent for sure. We got lucky though. The wind was blowing the other way, I think. She didn't pick up our trail right away. She took a few tentative steps onto the open plain, keeping an eye out for us, but we were hidden behind the rocks. I waited almost a full minute, letting her expose herself just enough, before I pulled Petey forward and let more arrows fly right into her haunches. She roared and tried to turn towards us, but she was partly caught between a boulder and a tree. I was able to get roughly ten more shots in before she became absolutely enraged. Suddenly she stood herself up on her hind legs. I didn’t know she could do that. She’s able move like a biped when she so chooses, but she loses a lot of speed when she does. Still, a Spino standing upright is a dangerous thing. One swipe from her mighty arms and the tree she was stuck on snapped like a twig. She took a menacing step towards us. I put one more arrow in her and kicked Petey back into motion. Lindsay dropped back down to all fours and came bounding after us.

 

We fled to the east, into some woods. I figured we had a moment once we crossed the tree line, so I stopped and got ready to shoot again. Lindsay bounded forward, and to my horror, she didn’t slow down. I kicked Petey before I even got my bow put away. As a result I was off balance when he took off, but we had to move. I scrambled to hold onto to Petey as he moved, and then I heard the massive impact of an 18-foot monster smashing her way right through a line of young trees. I saw them hit the ground in my periphery. “Shit, that’s really close. Petey! RUN!” I screamed at the top of my voice.

 

Petey complied. He’s a pretty damn good sprinter. I was still desperately trying to get myself back in the saddle, but then, Petey lurched to a stop beneath me. At the current angle I was in, my leg slipped free of the restraints and I went sailing over Petey’s head. I hit the ground chest-first and rolled painfully to a stop. The wind was forced from my lungs and my body screamed from ten different kinds of pain I’d received from that tumble, but I didn’t stay down. Petey was bellowing in terror somewhere behind me. No way in hell was I going to let my friend die without a fight.

 

I coughed and got to my feet, turning to assess the situation, and trying to figure out what just happened. Lindsay had my friend. She’d used her long jaws to catch him by the tip of the tail. That’s how she’d literally yanked him out from under me. Petey honked in terror and flailed for his life, but Lindsay’s jaws stayed closed, and she started dragging him backwards, where she could pin him down.

 

I ignored all my pains and charged in screaming like a mad woman. I had my axe and my club with me. I pulled the club out first. I smacked that girl’s nose as hard as I could. The first blow she mostly ignored, she just sort of grunted. The second one pissed her off and shifted her focus. Her eye glared at me and she snarled, but still, she didn’t let Petey go. I hit her again, right in the eye this time. The rockier part of my club tore some flesh above it and finally, her jaws released my friend’s tail as she winced away from the blow. Petey scrambled away from her. She roared after him in frustration, but then turned to me. I’d made her lose her lunch. Now she was pissed. By what I had to assume was luck, I managed to leap onto Petey’s back like some kind of action star. I clung to him as he sprinted away.

 

Lindsay was hot on our heels. “Petey! Turn!” I shouted. In my panic I forgot to give him a direction. He whipped us to his right but immediately skidded to avoid some obstacle I couldn’t see. The momentum caused me to lose my grip, and once again I tumbled to the ground as Petey skidded to a halt. Lindsay came tearing around the trees at us, but for once, luck was on our side. She tried to force herself between two trees but she couldn’t quite make it. Her jaws snapped harmlessly a few meters away. She started thrashing, and soon she was inching her way through. “Fuck, you’re persistent.” I scrambled to my feet. Petey, despite being terrified, waited for me. I jumped onto him and got myself back in the saddle. Lindsay forced herself forward another few meters. As Petey got us moving, I got back to shooting.

 

The next few minutes were a blur of trees and arrows. The trees were thick, and they slowed our pursuer, but not by much. She ran around the thicker trunks and barreled through the smaller ones, snapping them like twigs. Petey and I could easily outmaneuver her, though. Every time she stopped to dodge a larger tree, I hit her with another arrow. We went at it like that for what felt like hours. It was probably less than five minutes, in reality. I remember reaching for an arrow and found the quiver empty. That meant I'd put roughly fifty shots into Lindsay's skin. I dug some more out of the saddlebags and kept up the assault.

 

Somehow, we turned south, and emerged from the woods. I hadn't intended to do that, but then I saw where we were. We were back where we started, on top of the hill on the peninsula. Petey was exhausted, and was rapidly slowing down. I let him stop and jumped off his back so he could rest. It would take Lindsay some time to catch up. She was really slowing down. She emerged from the forest, damn near dragging her feet; parts of her looked like a pincushion at that point. As she emerged, she locked eyes with me. I glared defiantly at her, my bow at the ready. She surprised me then. She let out a low... almost burbling sound. Then she began moving away from me. She moved down the rocky slopes, stumbling and almost tumbling down onto the beach below. I had done it. I'd beaten her. She took a few more laborious steps towards the waters, but she didn't make it. She collapsed in a heap there on the sand. For now, it was over.

 

Only after she'd collapsed and lain there for a while, did I let my tense muscles relax. That's when I realized just how much energy I'd expended, and how much pain I was in. My hips and my abs were screaming from riding Petey so hard, my arms and legs were covered in cuts and scrapes from riding through the brush at break neck speeds, and my throat was completely parched. I almost collapsed myself, but I kept myself going. First I dragged myself to the river, on the opposite side, far away from the sleeping beast, and I drank my fill. I barely noticed when Petey dragged himself up next to me, and sank his head in the water next to mine. A day ago I'd have been apprehensive about sharing a drinking spot with a dinosaur, but at the moment I couldn't care less. I fed him and wiped his wounds clean, but I couldn’t tend to him fully yet. Not with the angry giant nearby.

 

I grabbed the bags of meat I'd brought, and cautiously scaled the hill. Lindsay was right where I left her. Keeping clear of any teeth or claws, I made my way to where her head rested. I dumped out the bag of meat, I heard Lindsay sniff curiously, I dumped several jars of narcotic paste onto the meat, and spread it all around, then I hoisted the slimy pile into my arms, moved towards where her eye was, she was laying on her chin luckily, so I could kneel next to her head. Her eye looked bleary, but it still darted about.

 

When I knelt next to her, she let out a threatening but weak growl. I looked into her eye. There was intelligence there, fear, but then she saw the meat I was holding, and suddenly she looked hungry. But she didn't make a move. I carefully moved towards her snout. Then I tossed the meat pile out in front of it--no way in hell I was getting any closer to those teeth. I backed away towards safety and watched as Lindsay sniffed at the offering I'd left her. It took all her might, but she scarfed it up. About ten minutes later she was fast asleep.

 

I already knew what my dad would say in this situation. "Kill it. It's the only way to be sure it won't kill you." God damn him for being mostly right about that. The “tame her slowly” method had failed, but maybe I could tame her the same way I tamed the Dilophosaurus? Now that she was knocked out, she knew who was boss, now I just needed to show her I was a friend.

 

I went to work pulling the arrows out of her skin. Due to how she was laying I couldn't reach them all. Even a bunch that I could see were in places I couldn't reach without climbing her, and there's no way I was about to try that.

 

Next, I needed to get her some more food. Despite the pain in my torso, I managed to drag myself to the river with my spear. I was hoping to catch some fish, but all I found were piranhas. Thankfully, piranhas are stupid. Carefully I'd wade into the water, and as soon as I saw them darting at me, I'd jump out, safe from their vicious teeth, and harpoon them with my spear. They never figured out it was a trap, either. In about a half hour I'd speared myself four monster fish.

 

Petey, meanwhile, had lain himself down on top of the hill. He groaned and cooed at me in distress when he watched me move back towards the sleeping Spinosaurus. No matter how I reassured him, I couldn't calm him down, or get him to leave that spot. He was still scared. Poor guy. After I threw the fish down for Lindsay, I gave my noble steed plenty of love and attention. I fed him some more, wrapped his wounds, and whispered soothing words to him. He’d been magnificent. After that, it was just a waiting game. I built a fire near Lindsay, far enough to avoid her rolling on it in her sleep, but close enough that she could hopefully feel its warmth. I cleaned and cooked some of the fish I caught for myself. Monster piranha isn't half bad. Needed some tartar sauce or something. Or just salt... I miss salt.

 

The rest of the fish I left in a pile in front of Lindsay's nose. I didn't coat them with narc though. I'd let her wake up this time. I know, I know. Letting an angry apex predator wake up near you is a stupid idea. It's weird, though. I was... certain, somehow, that Lindsay wouldn't hurt me when she woke up. I'd beaten her when she attacked me. She knew I wasn’t to be trifled with.

 

I jumped back on Petey’s back when she stirred. We were ready to flee. Lindsay woke with a start and looked around. She spotted me and regarded me for a moment. I tensed up, ready to run if my instincts were wrong. Lindsay broke eye contact first.

 

She spotted her food and wolfed it down hungrily, all the while watching me. I watched her. Minutes ticked by. Once she’d swallowed up the last fish, I did another stupid thing. I dismounted and cautiously approached her. I could tell she was still groggy. I hoped that wouldn't make her angry. My brain screamed at me about how there was literally nothing stopping her from tearing me apart. Instead, she took a tentative step towards me, as I approached. I reached an arm out to her, and she stretched out her neck so her nose could meet my fingers. She sniffed, rather like a cat might, then she leaned in closer and I touched her. Her skin was bumpy, rough, damp, and warmer than I was expecting. I ran my hand over her nose, stroking what I could reach but not getting to close. I let my breath be taken away. There is no describing how beautiful an experience like this is. Spinosaurus was an apex predator that rivaled the mighty T. Rex itself, and here I was petting one on the nose. It was like all of my childhood dreams had come true.

 

After a few blissful moments, Lindsay withdrew from me and moved towards the water. She drank long thirsty gulps before stepping into the waters and making her way out of the inlet towards the ocean. Petey cried out in fright as she lumbered past him and dashed away. She paused briefly, watching him run, but she snuffed in disinterest and continued towards the sea.

 

I watched her wade in and serpentine out to sea for a time. I’d done it. With Petey’s help, I survived the worst-case scenario. If I was right, Lindsay now knew I was not to be trifled with. If I was wrong, though… she might just eat all of us next time. I can’t really explain why… but I was pretty sure she wouldn’t.


	10. Entry 10: Too Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne reflects on what she's seen so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Wow. What a day. I’m back on my feet at long last. Not quite one hundred percent, but easily ninety five or so. More than enough to get some work done. This morning, I got my crops weeded, got some fishing done, and did some maintenance on my house and huts. Later, I got Iggy and the Parasaurs to help me gather up some wild berries to refill our depleted stores.

I spent the rest of the day training my Raptors. It’s incredible how quick they learn. Using some jerky treats and repetition, I taught them some simple commands. Stay, follow, yes, no, things like that. Finch is the cleverest of the three. She had the fullest belly by the time evening fell. I’ve been scared of these things for so long, it’s sort of weird seeing this softer side of them. When they aren’t in “hunter/survivor” mode, they’re very playful and curious. I started playing hide and seek with them, and I wish you could see how adorably excited they got every time they found me. They’d hop up and down or bow their heads as if preparing to pounce. Then they chirp and start running in happy circles. I’d chase them a bit and then dive around a corner or into a bush so the game could start again.

Some other friends joined our game. The Dilos soon sprinted around with the Raptors, Joey the Lystrosaur came bounding after me as I ran away, even Snugglebug joined in and used his long neck to locate me when I climbed a tree. Before I knew it, night had fallen and we were all pleasantly exhausted from a day of fun. I built us a fire, and lounged with them all for an hour or so. 

Something’s been bothering me about all of this, though. I know it’s weird enough to be stuck on an island with dinosaurs and some sort of future tech, but even by these standards… there's so much that doesn't make sense. Just to illustrate, let’s get back to my tale of survival…

I won't bore you, my reader of questionable existence, with too many details of the next few days. If I had to sum it up in as few words as possible, they'd be, "why was that so easy?" I was expecting Lindsay to be much more belligerent, much more resistant to coexisting. I thought I’d be gaining her trust for months. But she was perfectly calm after one day. After she left, I traveled back to my camp and slept there for the night. The next day I got everything packed up, and I brought my whole entourage over to my home beach. Lindsay had returned. She lay on the sand, soaking up sun. I was cautious, but one by one, I moved all of my friends across the river onto the peninsula. Lindsay acknowledged all of it with a disinterested grunt.

The next few days were tense. I was convinced she was just waiting for a chance to gobble up the Dodo’s or something, but she never did. She hung out in the shallow inlet, soaking up sun, catching fish, and occasionally swimming in the sea, presumably to… catch more fish. 

She didn’t bother us in the slightest. I was able to rebuild my old hut, a fire pit, and even a nice storage box for all the new supplies I’d amassed while I was gone. 

It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, of course. She didn’t like my more aggressive friends, like Samson and the Dilos. Growls were exchanged if they ever got too close to each other, but there was never violence. When they first met, I honestly thought Harriet was going to start spitting. She's a little firecracker. Fortunately, I somehow managed to keep everyone calm. By now I'd gotten pretty adept at "piranha poking," as I call it. One of those fish could feed the herd of smaller carnivores. As an experiment, I speared a few of them and threw one to the Dilos. Lindsay did not look happy when she watched me feed it to them. I waited and watched, to see what she would do. She sullenly turned away, looking a bit dejected. Satisfied that she wasn't going to get upset enough to try killing us for the fish, I whistled to Lindsay and showed her the other two fish. When she saw them, I swear she was like a dog getting a treat. She bounced in excitement and trotted over, waiting patiently. Those fish are heavy, but I still managed to hoist them up to her so she could snap them out of the air. 

Another big problem, at first, was that poor Petey and Paula were so terrified that I don’t think they slept for several days. The Lystrosaurs were tense too, but they were easier to soothe since they could fit in my hut with me. I remember one night I built a nice roaring fire. Petey, Paula, Samson, and the idiot birds all gathered around its warmth. To my surprise I heard Lindsay’s massive footfalls wandering close. It was hard to see her in the dark, but soon her toothy maw emerged into the firelight. She laid herself down near us. I tried to get up and approach her but she growled a bit. So I backed off. Soon, she was fast asleep. That night, both Parasaurs overcame their fear and also fell asleep. I could only smile. After that, the tension slowly faded away, and life alongside Lindsay the Spinosaurus began. I got back into a daily routine, and started trying new things, too. But I’ll talk about that stuff another time… 

Let me transcribe my thoughts on what exactly is bothering me. I may not be an expert on animal behavior, but nothing I’ve seen here is normal. I had a dog. We trained that dog not to chase cats its whole life, and you know what it still did any chance it got? It chased cats. I know it’s possible for pets to make friends, I know that sometimes it doesn’t even take much work. But this was ridiculous. Wild animals happily living side by side? Predators living with herbivores? This shit just… shouldn’t happen. Lindsay was a ferocious titan. Sure, we put her to sleep once, but I barely escaped that encounter alive. If she wanted, she could swallow me whole with no trouble. But after putting her to sleep once… she’s become perfectly docile around me and my friends. How? Why? 

The same can be said of my Raptors. They’re all wicked smart, and they’d managed to injure me worse than even Lindsay managed to when we fought. But after one fight, they’re happy to be friends? If I went home and successfully put a grizzly bear to sleep, its not going to wake up and decide I’m its new best friend. It’s going to wake up pissed, and it’s going to swat my head off. Why are the dinosaurs so different? 

Lets go back to dogs. Dogs had been bred by humans for thousands of years, by the standards of my time, anyway. Socializing with humans is bred into their DNA at this point. But even so, there are still plenty of dogs that take way more effort than this to make friends with. Why the hell are dinosaurs, who I remind you should have zero human social interaction bred into them, so good at socializing with me? I’m not complaining. Making friends with these creatures is a fucking dream come true. But what’s going on here? 

There’s more though. I’ve hinted in the past that I’ve trained my friends. I use whistle commands to signal to them. The system works well with all of them. I’ve got whistle commands for “follow” and “stop,” as well as “attack” or “stand down.” I’ve even got one for “run away.” They respond to their names once they’ve learned them as well, which means I can command them individually. With whistles I can make the Dilophosaurs stand down, while Samson attacks. It wasn’t an easy process, but it was still way easier than it should have been. Some species learn faster than others, but all of them learn. That can’t be normal. 

Then there’s the plants. The bushes producing multiple types of berries are weird enough. But one day, not long after we “tamed” Lindsay, a supply crate appeared and delivered seeds to me. With help from my engrams, I soon had a garden growing plants that produced only Mejoberries, and others producing Tintoberries and Azulberries. How is it that I can also grow plants that only produce one if they all grow from the same plants? Furthermore, those plants were fully grown and producing in two freaking weeks. 

How much more evidence could I need? The animal behavior, the obelisks, the chip in my arm, it all leads me to my current theory: everything here is fabricated. The dinosaurs, the plants, the terrain, all of it. That’s the most logical reason I can come up with for this. Maybe someone designed these animals with the “human social interaction” genes in them? I have no clue how. The technology is way beyond anything I know to be possible. If it’s possible to design a living creature, why not an ecosystem for that creature? That’s what I think this is. Some sort of hyper advanced terrarium for specially designed creatures. I guess the question is, what’s it for? And why am I here? 

I hope I find out some day. At the very least, I now have a two-story sail-backed guardian angel.


	11. Entry 11: Upgrading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne learns new ways to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Ugh. I need, like, a giant scratching post or something. Lindsay has a habit of chewing on this one palm tree. Well, not really chewing. Gumming? Gnawing? I assumed she was just working her jaws and scraping off her teeth, like a dog might with a chew toy. It seems that tree finally reached the end of its life, though. This morning I woke up feeling great, went outside, and found Lindsay’s chew-tree had fallen over and took out the shed I was building. Lindsay gave me a look, cocked her head, and trotted away, as if to say, “It’s not my fault you built the shed there.” 

Thankfully, I was too excited to let a little thing like “broken equipment” stop me from getting my next project started. Once I got my chores taken care of, I dug all the leather out of the ruined shed, pulled my blueprints out of the house, and got to work constructing a (fucking YES FINALLY) Raptor saddle. It’s mostly finished. I just need to let some of the smelted metal cool overnight. By tomorrow, it should be ready. I’m fucking stoked. Soon… I will be a rider of Raptors.

Which one should I ride? Finch is the smart one, and will likely learn how to carry me quickest, but she’s not as fast as Crow. Neither of them is faster than Parakeet when he’s sprinting, but the thing with Parakeet is that he’s smaller. I’m not sure he could handle carrying me. He runs out of stamina quick enough without any extra weight. Anyway, Crow was the leader of the pack before I brought them home. He’s clever, he’s strong, and he’s plenty fast. I’m thinking he’ll make the best steed. Holy shit, I’m gonna ride a Raptor like a fucking boss. Really wish the metal would cool faster so I could start riding immediately… in the meantime, I can pick up where I left off last. 

Weeks went by after taming Lindsay. We built a routine. I built myself a bigger house, further up the peninsula. A nice big wooden one, where I could store all my supplies. My old hut on the beach became my fishing hut. Engrams appeared that taught me to make a stone “smoker” of sorts. I could store dinosaur meat in it and light a small simmering flame, and after a few days shut in it, the meat is smoked into jerky, which lasts a long time. Between that and the gardens I was growing, food was becoming less of an issue. 

After a few weeks, I hit a bit of a wall. There was only so much I could accomplish with stone and wood. I needed better weapons to fight, hunt, and protect my friends. I needed better tools and equipment to help me build and maintain what I crafted. I needed sturdier buildings to secure myself, my friends, and my supplies. But how could I upgrade? 

The next logical step was crafting metal tools, but what the hell did I know about metalworking, mining, or smelting? I’d been smashing up boulders to make more open ground to build on, and I’d been collecting metals that I found, but for the longest time I had no idea what to do with them. Thankfully, my engrams finally came through for me. Instructions appeared on ideal mining techniques I could use along with instructions on how to build and use a “smelting furnace.” 

First, I experimented. I built the large stone "furnace.” My first attempt to use it set one of the Dodos on fire… which then set my house on fire. Thankfully little Freddy is just fine, and the house survived with only a scorch mark. With practice, I figured out how to use the furnace to smelt impurities out of the metal ore I’d found. I crafted myself a hammer out of the thickest wood I could find and I used it to hammer the softened metal into shapes. The first thing I made, sadly, was a giant hole in the floor. “So that’s what an anvil is for,” I thought. Thing is, I didn’t have any more metal to work with. 

It was looking like I would need to mount some sort of expedition to find supplies. I wasn’t a huge fan of wandering through the unknown here, but I had dinosaur backup now. I started amassing supplies. Lindsay still wouldn’t obey my commands, so I wouldn’t be able to bring her. But I would be able to bring Samson and the Dilos. But which one would I ride on? Petey again? That was my first plan, but… One day, we were out gathering up fiber near the swamps, just him and I. I was gathering up what I could when I heard a terrified honk from my friend, followed by a splash and a hissing breath. I whipped around and found a monstrous Sarcosuchus (it’s a crocodile), at least the length of a semi, dashing out of the water and clamping its jaws down on Petey’s leg. 

He was helpless as it dragged him back towards the water. Thankfully I was able to show Petey my appreciation for all the times he saved my life. I ran right at the gargantuan reptile and leapt onto its back like a mad woman. Ugly bastard didn’t even register my presence. But that was his mistake. With a few well-aimed jabs, I buried my spear into the back of its head. Its death wasn’t instantaneous, but it came quickly. I’m pretty sure I pierced its brain or the base of its spinal cord. Petey crawled away and ran up to me as jumped off the monster. He buried his head in my chest and honked fearfully… Poor guy. I couldn’t keep making him do these things for me. He just wasn’t equipped for this. He’d stood by me for the battle with Lindsay, countless Raptor attacks, and now, a giant crocodile. I’ve asked too much of him. He’s not a fighter. So that day, I decided to retire him as my mount. He could relax on my beach, safe from harm, for the rest of his days. 

I got Petey home first and patched up his leg. I promised him I wouldn’t put him in danger anymore. Samson and I returned to the carcass and spent a day turning the croc into useful material. Crocodile skin makes the best shoes I’ve had thus far. 

After that, I had to figure out who I would ride. Paula was even more timid than Petey, so I couldn’t ask her to carry me. Maybe I could ride Samson, but I don’t know how to make a saddle for him. 

The answer came a few days later. I was out and about with my posse of Dilophosaurs when we stumbled on a creature I hadn’t seen yet, but, nerd that I am, I recognized. They’re lithe creatures, with a similar build to a Parasaur, but they’re leaner and stronger looking. They’re about 8 or nine feet tall and they move primarily on all fours. They’re able to stand on their hind legs if they need to. You’ll recognize them by their long narrow heads, and the giant ass spikes they’ve got on their forelegs in place of thumbs. Iguanodon. 

We almost came to blows with this poor guy. He saw me and my predator posse and he bellowed a threat at us. I managed to keep everyone calm, and offered the nervous beast a hefty helping of mejoberries. He was a fan. I admit it’s not very original, but I call him Iggy. I brought him home and he adjusted to life with us well. An engram appeared for an Iguanodon saddle, so before long I had my new noble steed. I highly recommend Iguanodon as a companion to anyone out there. They’re strong, well-rounded, loyal companions. On all fours they’re quicker than Parasaurs, and unlike Parasaurs they have natural weaponry in the form of those thumbs. Careful taming them, though. Those thumbs are dangerous, and their arms are wicked strong. They could easily skewer a Dilo (or even a person) to death. 

With a new metal-tipped spear I scrounged together, my new mount, and my predator posse to handle threats, along with Samson to help me carry the weight, I felt as prepared as I could be. I made Samson some saddlebags and packed them with leather waterskins, food, supplies for fires, and extra tools. So long as we didn't run into anything Lindsay's size, I was confident we could stay safe. 

I decided to start my search on the island where I'd spent weeks preparing for a showdown with Lindsay. I remembered some metallic looking stone near the peak of the little mountain on that island, where I first saw the obelisk. 

We’ll talk about that adventure next time. Stay alive!


	12. Entry 12: Snuggles for a Broken Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne searches for metal, and meets some new beasts, both friendly, and not so friendly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

Oh man… What a rush. I was so busy riding the Raptors that I forgot to give the Dodos their berry pile. They were squawking mad when I finally got home. Crow and I make a great team, though it’s going to be a long time before we’ve mastered riding together. Like many others, he wasn’t a fan of taking the bit in his mouth. I did my best to make him feel like he wasn’t just a steed, even though he still owes me big for fucking up my leg. He got some extra yummy meat treats and lots of play time in exchange for his services. Oh, man… What a service. I could spend days just sprinting up and down the beach, with my new pack mates sprinting alongside me. These animals have to be moving at roughly 30 to 40 miles an hour when they really get going. If I can master this… it will open up a lot more opportunities to explore this place. Maybe I’ll even find a way to escape. There are drawbacks, of course. They require riding skills that are bit above me right now. Totally lost my balance once or twice (or four times) and fell. Naturally, I landed on a pile of rocks each time. Thanks for the pain, universe.

 

The other drawback... My ass and torso both feel like someone ran my muscles through a meat grinder. When the hell did laughing start to hurt? Also breathing? Hopefully I can adapt to this, because there’s no way I’m not riding Raptors again. On top of being a fucking blast to ride, Raptors are deadly enough to fight or scare off most of the smaller threats, and fast/smart enough to run and hide from the big ones. Even if you can’t master riding them, they’re worth keeping around as badass escorts. Their smarts also mean they make great companions. I really wish I’d been able to tame them sooner. I could have used them during the adventure I’ll be recounting now…

 

I decided to start my first excursion by revisiting the campsite I’d stayed at while preparing for Lindsay. I knew something was off before we even got there. There was a huge swathe of trees that were just… flattened. I’d been running around these woods killing ants for weeks, so I know this new path wasn’t there before. Shrubs were crushed; wood splintered, some trees toppled, and large footprints big enough to sit in comfortably marked the path of an enormous creature that had stomped right through the trees. The tracks were big and round. At first, I took comfort that I didn’t see claw marks on those prints. They reminded me of elephant feet. All the same, whatever this was, it was very large, very strong, and its path lead straight to the camp. The camp itself was… pulverized. The little makeshift hut and fire pit were stomped into the mud, and the whole area had been trampled. Whatever this thing was, it almost looked like it had just… turned in circles, stomping on everything in the clearing.

 

We stopped there for a rest and I looked around. None of the damage looked… aggressive? Things had been smoothed, not crushed. Maybe this thing wasn’t a hunter? Was it just curious? The Dilophosaurs weren’t reacting the way they usually did when they smelled a predator. What was this thing? Why did it flatten my campsite?

 

I gave Iggy and Samson their berry bags and took the Dilos out to hunt some Dodo birds. With everyone fed and watered, we moved on. The mystery “tree stomper” seemed to be going the same way we were: north towards the mountain. We followed the newly cleared trail. At about midday, we emerged into some open ground. I kept us at the edge of the woods and scouted about with my spyglass.

There were lots of dinosaurs wandering aimlessly about. Several wild Dilos, a Triceratops, and a turtle (the name eludes me) that was roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. I was also thrilled to discover some notably shiny rocks near the base of the mountain. Those had to be metal. There was one problem, though. There was one other beast occupying the space, and all the others gave it a wide berth. It was roughly twelve feet tall, and covered in deep blue plumage. It sort of resembled a bigger, bulkier, Big Bird from Sesame Street, except instead of wings, it had strong arms with machetes built into the hands. I'm only half kidding. Those claws are like 3 feet long. Therizinosaurus, which translates to “the scythe lizard.” Avoid them, especially if you're just starting out. They’re herbivores, so they won’t eat you, but they’re extremely territorial, and they can skewer you or sheer you in half with their claws and their strong arms.

 

I didn’t know that at the time, of course… I learned pretty quick though. While my team rested, I decided to approach it. Perhaps I could make friends? Then I could bring a mountain of metal and a new defender home. It took heed of my approach, and squawked out a warning. I threw up my hands and tried to look innocent as possible while I took another step. Before I knew it I was sprinting for my life and narrowly avoiding getting sliced in two. It didn’t chase me far, and thankfully it backed down when my posse started bellowing at it. Seriously though, Therizinosaurs are scary.

 

I moved us west, around the angry bird, till we were alongside the mountain. I’d decided to find metal elsewhere. I had no desire to tangle with “Big Bird Mc-Sword-Fist.” As we moved, I noticed something to the east of us: loud noises, footfalls probably, along with the splintering of many trees. The forest was too thick to see through, but I could see trees shaking, and whatever was moving them was coming closer. We were trapped against the mountain, and I was about to meet the elusive “tree stomper.” I whistled to my friends, preparing them to attack, and watched in morbid fascination from Iggy’s back as the massive mystery creature stomped closer and closer.

 

Then a gentle head broke through the trees and snaked its way out, followed by a neck as long as a telephone poll that carried the head a good fifteen feet above the ground. The creature’s gentle brown eyes fixed on me and my group as it easily shouldered its way out of the trees.

 

I smiled in awe. Diplodocus. One of the long necked dinosaurs, like Brontosaurus, or Brachiosaurus. I kept my hand on the reigns, and my lips pursed, ready to whistle the fight or flee command if I had to… but I was too curious.

 

The big creature paused briefly to survey us, then it leaned its massive head forward, and tentatively moved closer, looking straight at me on Iggy’s saddle. There was nothing aggressive about its stance, but when you’re face to face with anything that size… it’s a little unnerving. All the same, the dinosaur fangirl in me won. I reached towards the gentle head and touched it. I wasn’t prepared for what followed. It shut its eyes in contentment and leaned into my hand, while letting out an almost purr-sounding “Barrrroooo.”

 

The force of the big guy's attempted “snuggle” knocked me off Iggy, and knocked Iggy on his butt. I landed on a pile of rocks… again.

 

Take note. Diplodocus is huge, but it’s friendly to a fault and it forgets that it’s a fifteen-foot, multi-ton beast. I spent hours patting and playing with him. He was beside himself with joy to have made new friends. He nuzzled each of us and sent us all flying. I can safely say that his presence has had a hugely positive effect on my psyche. He is just so full of love and affection, and he shares it with everyone. He can also carry several tons of supplies. But keep something in mind… They don’t seem to have any violence in their genes. As big as they are… they never fight to defend themselves. I’ve seen them in the wild trying to snuggle and befriend angry predators. Only after they’ve been wounded will they give up and run away (and they’re surprisingly fast given their size). If you choose to befriend one, you’ll gain a loving playful friend… but be prepared to defend it. More aggressive species seem perfectly aware of how docile they are.

 

It was nightfall when we finally all collapsed in a heap near our new gigantic friend. He joined our expedition, and lives with us now. His name is Snugglebug. I built us a fire and we slept happy that night. I only wish that had been the end of it.

 

I was torn from my sleep by squawks and shrieks some time early in the morning, just as the sun was rising. I'm not really sure how the conflict started, but old Scythe Hands wandered close and encountered some of my Dilos. Whatever occurred, by the time I was up, little Hank was already dead.

 

The beast had skewered him with a single thrust of those massive claws. It happened fast. I lost it a little. Hank was the first predator I'd tamed on this island, and I'd grown rather fond of him. In that instant, I felt my whole being dim. It was like emotional whiplash. After all the fun we’d had, seeing my friend slide bloodily to the ground… It was like ice had been dumped into my chest. But soon that sensation dulled, and all that was left was white-hot rage. With tears in my eyes, I charged. I plunged my spear into that thing’s chest. It sank in almost a full foot. The beast reared up and squawked in surprise. I wrenched the spear out and in my fury I was ready to jab it back into him a second time, but I found myself breathless. That’s when I realized I’d been screaming the whole time. I had to back off when the creature swung those vicious claws at me. I was able to avoid long term damage, but they still grazed me. Damn thing tore my hide shirt right open. I knew I couldn't win. Luckily, Hank’s pack mates, along with Samson and Iggy, managed to chase the bastard off, but not before Snugglebug tried to make friends. As the Therizinosaurus fled from Samson’s angry horns, it took a swipe at Snugglebug and cut a gouge in his leg. The poor long-neck looked so dejected.

 

With the threat gone, I patched up our wounds as best I could. It took all the cloth I had to wrap Snugglebug’s tree trunk legs. I kneeled over Hank and cried all morning. A sharp and horribly heavy pain had settled itself on my chest. Losing the Dodos hurt, but this cut deeper. I buried him in the loose soil. The others stood solemnly behind me as I worked. When I was done, I said a little eulogy for him. “Hank. You were the first predator I made friends with here. If I hadn’t met you, I would have been killed by ants, or Raptors months ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to save you. You were a true friend. It didn’t matter how small you were, you always stepped up to fight with me… I’m so sorry I punched you when we first met…”

 

I couldn’t let his death be in vain. After a melancholy morning, I got us moving. We found our way up the mountain, and I found plenty of ore rock up there. We camped on the peak for a few days. It was somber at first. But Snugglebug’s infectious affection soon pierced the gloom. It’s amazing how… warm a Diplodocus’ love can be. We all curled up with him, and played with him, and we felt better. The dinosaurs played while I mined and worked on my map, all the while trying to ignore the reality-bending obelisk in the distance.

 

The view from there was pretty amazing. To the south was just ocean, but north of me I spotted mountains, rivers, swamps, and a forest of gigantic redwood trees. This island has some very diverse topography.

 

At sunset of our third day up there, I heard the squawks of the Therizinosaurus in the distance. Curious, I grabbed my spyglass and did a bit of scouting. I found the thing locked in combat with a pair of those Raptors. They were fighting smart, dashing in to slash and dashing out, keeping the big herbivore off balance. As I watched, a shadow came to life and leapt on the Therizino’s back. It was another Raptor. A Raptor with jet-black scales. Together, the trio felled the aggressive Big-Bird wannabe. “Serves you right.” I muttered under my breath.

 

Spoiler warning, I’m ninety percent sure that the Raptor trio I watched that night was the same group that stabbed me and made friends with me later.

 

The next day we made our way home. That went without a hitch. By nightfall, we were back on the peninsula being greeted by happy Lystrosaurs. Introducing Snugglebug to Lindsay was a bit scary to me, but the big goof trotted right up to her and greeted her with a big old snuggle. Lindsay gave me a look of what I _swear_ was indignity, before walking away and lying down... it was adorable. And hilarious.

 

So, that’s the story of my first excursion. There would be plenty more in the future. They get easier as you learn the terrain and which dinosaur friends are best suited to help you. I’ll tell you about uses for metal and such next time. For now it’s bedtime… right after I get a big old snuggle, from the Bug himself. Rest In peace, little Hank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Therizinosaurus was not kind to me in Ark...


	13. Entry 13: Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something angry has interrupted Rayne's writings...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

It’s been three days since I wrote anything. I've been a bit too busy to write. A lot has happened. I want to get some of it written down, because the danger levels have skyrocketed. 

I was riding around with the Raptors. We went West a ways, still getting used to each other. As I rounded the cliff, I saw them. Two of them. They were a long way off, but still very visible and terrifying. Rexes. I’m a little terrified that my homestead is less than an hour from their territory. Thankfully for me, there’s a river and plenty of swamp between us and them. So long as they stay over there we should be safe…. But I guess I’m never going West now.

I had Crow lead us out of there on the double. We climbed the nearby cliffs and camped out there for hours so I could watch the pair of behemoths. Part of that was fan-girling, but mostly, I was curious. The first Rex I saw left quite an impression. I still have nightmares about that thing tearing the Brontosaurs to shreds just for the hell of it. This was my chance to see if all Rexes were that… energetic. 

These two… they certainly weren’t docile, but they were different. They were big scary predators, sure, but there was something majestic and awe inspiring about them too. They were effective hunters of medium-sized creatures like Trikes, Parasaurs, and things like that. One of them left for a while and returned, carrying what I think was a Pachyrhinosaurus. Sort of a smaller, less spikey Triceratops. It dropped its catch at the feet of its partner, and the pair chowed down. It wasn’t pretty… but it still wasn’t anything like the horrid mess the other Rex made. 

I kept watching. I couldn’t take my eyes away. My theory is that this pair is a mating couple. They did this thing where they stood next to each other and nuzzled their heads together. I’m pretty sure it was courtship behavior. It was… kinda cute. They roared fiercely at anything that wandered close. That was usually all it took to drive off intruders, and once the threat left, they didn’t bother to pursue it. 

The point I’m trying to get to… the pair of Rexes nesting to the West of me just… weren’t that violent. They behaved the way you might expect big predators to. By no means was it safe to be anywhere near them… but so long as we don’t stray close to them, I don’t think they’ll bother us. Something must have been different with that white Rex I saw. It got me curious enough that I decided to try scouting around for that first one again. Maybe I’d just seen it on a bad day or something? Maybe it had killed those Brontos for food? It was worth checking out, if only to put my mind at ease. 

I wanted to come home and write everything down that night, but the Raptors and I got ambushed on our way home. We left just as the sun set over the horizon. I’d been so enthralled by the Rex pair that I’d broken my own rule to never travel at night. We paid for it. Everyone is fine, no major wounds, but all of us got bit at least once by the little bastards. Troodons. They’re swift, stealthy, and aggressively clever. At night, they’re a force to be reckoned with, even to Raptors. This is even more amazing when you consider that they’re only about a foot and a half tall. If you find yourself out at night (seriously, just don’t), watch out for the orangey glow of their eyes. They’re savage little fuckers. The Raptors and I killed four or five of them before the attacks stopped. I’d gotten a nasty bite to the ankle, and as it turns out their saliva is laced with some kind of narcotic. The Raptors and I barely made it home before we all passed out. 

The next day, I went looking for the white Rex. I call him Ghost. It took two days to find him. The journey during the first day ended when we blundered into a rival Raptor pack. It was brutal. The other Raptors consisted of a giant dirty-grey thing, a leaner, quicker black and light grey jerk, and their leader, a beautiful brown female, with deep maroon feathers. 

I had to dismount and fight alongside my friends. I’ll skip ahead and just say that I managed to tame all three. The big grey one is Seagull, the lean grey one is Pigeon, and the pretty one is Hawk. Man, Hawk sure kicked the shit out of us. I’m damn lucky I didn’t suffer another stabbing. She had Crow on the ropes, and Crow’s a tough, smart son of a bitch. Parakeet was beat up the most. Pigeon had thrown him around like a ragdoll and scratched up his hip. I didn’t want to risk more injury, so I sought out a secluded space, and we camped in the wilderness for the night so I could mend the wounds we received, and hopefully make better friends with the angry Raptors we just humiliated. 

On the third day, we set out together. My new pack mates followed us without any fuss. After a few hours of searching, I found Ghost. Ghost is definitely something different: he’s a nightmare. 

I spotted him a long ways off, feeding on a Parasaur carcass. Out of nowhere he spat out his meal and sprinted towards something else. I had to maneuver a bit to find out what. My heart sank when I saw the poor Diplodocus it was disemboweling. I could only hang back and weep as it tore bloody chunks out of gentle beast, who even then, continued trying to snuggle and make friends. Soon the cries and gurgles of pain fell silent. Ghost immediately lost interest and set off to find something else to torture. I waited a good five minutes after Ghost disappeared and ran to the Diplo. Because of Snugglebug, I have a huge soft spot for these big animals. I couldn’t do anything to save it. Ghost had turned its belly inside out. It quivered weakly as I approached. Its eyes were already glazed and far away... I sat with it and stroked its head just below the jaw, the way I know Snugglebug likes. The Raptors seemed to know I was upset. They stood in a line solemnly watching me, and patiently waiting. Once the poor beast was gone, I looked around. It didn’t look like anything was missing. Ghost hadn’t even taken a bite.

I can’t explain this behavior. He’s hyper aggressive towards any living thing he sees, and he just keeps going. I followed for a few hours. He was easy to find. I just followed the corpses. At some point he almost looked like he was glowing red or something, but I realized he was just caked in layers of gore and entrails from his victims. I don’t know if he’s sick, or mutated, or what, but no animal acts like that. He’s a relentless, raging, alpha predator. 

More alarmingly, he’s getting uncomfortably close to home. I’ve got the nesting Rexes to the West, and now Ghost is rampaging around to the East. I’m surrounded by super predators. The scary thing is… If I had to choose? I’d rather fight the pair.

I’ve got a plan for how to proceed. I’ll spend the next few days training my new Raptor recruits, and then I’ll take all six of them and we’ll try and lead Ghost away from home. I can’t risk him getting close and spotting Snugglebug, or anyone on the homestead. Even if I could count on Lindsay to fight with us, I don’t like our odds against either threat. I’ll let you know how that goes. There’s more of my previous tale to tell, but I’ll get to that later. Wish me luck, oh reader of questionable existence. Hopefully me and six Raptors will be enough to drive off that freak.


	14. Entry 14: Crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne deals with her issues, both past and present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a. Love you Ner1a.

Entry 14 – Crisis

Crisis averted, for now. Ghost is a monster, but he’s not quite quick enough to tangle with a Raptor pack. We tussled with him for hours. My pack performed beautifully. I gave Ghost one chance to fuck off, by having all of us stand in a line and screech at him. As I expected, he interpreted that as a challenge. He didn’t even roar at us, he just charged. He’s definitely not used to clashing with opponents that fight smart.

Once he charged us, I whistled loudly and my pack got to work. We all dodged his initial charge and took cover behind rocks and trees. To get to any of us, he’d have to exert some effort. He tried, but every time he spotted one and charged, I whistled and two or three other Raptors would attack him from behind. They bit and slashed at his ankles, and occasionally they would leap at his hip to shank him with their giant toe claws. I swear the bastard is immune to pain. Still, the strategy worked. We kept shifting his focus and attacking his blind spots. I put close to a hundred tranq arrows into him. They didn’t even slow him down, so he’s also immune to narcotics. What is it with that freak? After an hour of pelting him and leading him in circles, I decided putting him down wasn’t going to work, so we shifted to plan B and started leading him away. By then… he was fucking pissed. He bellowed in rage, swung his head and stomped his feet like he was throwing a tantrum before he came after us. But boy, did he come after us.

He barreled through shrubs, trees, boulders, and even other living things in an effort to catch up to us. We lead him further and further East, until we reached another river. I have yet to explore the land on the other side of it, but hopefully that would make it a perfect place to ditch the big psychotic jackass. He’d find plenty of other things to murder here and if we were lucky, he’d keep moving East.

We got across long before he smashed his way through the last of the trees. We stood on the beach, taunting him from the other side of the river. He paused briefly at the water’s edge. It wasn’t particularly deep, but Rexes can’t be strong swimmers with those tiny arms and massive heads. He still came for us, though. We dashed to the edge of the woods, taunting him further, but I had Hawk double back. As Ghost came after me and Crow and the others, he failed to notice her on top of the rock. As he stomped passed her, she leapt on his back like the beautiful murder-bird that she is. Ghost flipped his shit, flailing this way and that, trying to shake her off, while roaring in fury.

I whistled the order and while Ghost’s back was turned, the other Raptors (aside from Crow and I) all attacked in unison. I honestly didn’t think it would work so well. With him flailing around, he was already off balance, so when four more Raptors all leapt at him from the same side, there was no way even a powerhouse like him could stay upright. I saw the shock in his eyes, followed by a moment of panic. He reeled a few steps, but there was no saving himself. I watched as he toppled over, landing on his side with a thunderous boom. Now was our chance to ditch this asshole and run. I whistled the retreat, but I should have known that monster wouldn’t make it easy. Even stuck on his side, he was as dangerous as ever. He saw my Raptors hopping off of him and escaping, but as Finch and Hawk jumped off, with a swing of his tail and a lurch of his body, he swung himself just enough to kick his foot at the fleeing pair. Hawk was just out of reach, but Finch hadn’t quite made it. The blow sent her flying. I let out an involuntary cry as I watched her hit the sand and roll to a halt. I spurred Crow towards her. Luck was with us. She was alive and back on her feet by the time we reached her. I whistled again and we all got back to fleeing. We all dashed down the beach, leaving the furious alpha predator flailing around, trying desperately to pick himself back up.

I didn’t stick around to see if he ever got back up. I lead us into the trees and out of sight. I wanted him to think we were still on that side of the river with him in case he tried to pursue us. We could hear his howls of fury for miles. After sprinting through unknown thickets and jungles, for a good half an hour, we finally emerged on the southern beach. Only then did I let us rest. Here’s hoping we never see that monster again.

After a good, long breather, I had to get us moving again. I swear I heard Ghost’s angry roar in the distance, but there was a problem: Finch’s adrenaline had worn off, and she’d finally figured out she was injured. The side Ghost had kicked was one big giant nasty bruise that covered her hip. It wasn’t broken, as far as I could tell, but she was in enough pain, that all she could manage was a limp. I wasn’t about to leave one of my friends behind, but I couldn’t move at Finch’s pace either. I sprinted into the jungle, seeking a solution.

That was how I stumbled upon a new ruin, along with an explorer note. This one was written in Latin, but as I watched in fascination and confusion, the Latin words swam before my eyes, transforming into English. Somehow that was the least interesting part. The guy who wrote it was a Roman legionnaire named Nerva, and he was leading a military conquest of the Island. But he mentioned something that got my attention. He had his hands on something called an “artifact” and he seemed to believe that this “artifact” was the key to… something… on this island. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of these artifacts, but we’ll get to that later. He was bringing the artifacts to the obelisks. Maybe they found a way off? Maybe that’s why there’s nobody here anymore? So I have to find these artifacts and bring them to the obelisks. I might have a goal now…

But at the moment, I had an injured friend to tend to. To make a long story short, I used my axe to chop a sizable piece of bark from a massive tree. Using the bark, and rope in my backpack, I made a makeshift sled. I gave Finch some narc to knock her out, then heaved her onto it, tied the sled to Pigeon and Seagull, and, at a nice steady pace, we made our way home. With a little extra effort, the sled even allowed us to ferry her back across the river. We made it home by nightfall. Even if he somehow made a beeline straight towards us, it would be at least a day before Ghost reached us. But, as I planned, he’d have plenty of other things to kill wherever he is.

But let’s not talk about that right now. My Raptor friends and I just humiliated a giant white asshole. After I got Finch patched up as best I could, I spent all night praising them and feeding them the best meat treats I had. I threw them a damn party. Crow, Finch, Parakeet, Hawk, Pigeon, and Seagull, you guys are fucking amazing. To think, I wouldn’t have met any of you guys if you hadn’t tried to murder me.

Speaking of which, why don’t I finish telling the story of how I got to this point, how I met Parakeet, Finch, and Crow. Or rather, how they found me, and started hunting me…

After the excursion where I met Snugglebug, not a whole lot happened of interest. I got a routine going. I learned more and more about forging metals into shapes. The engrams helped with that. Before long I had an axe and a pickaxe made of solid metal. Mining and logging became a lot easier. A metal sickle made harvesting plant fiber and berries less of a hassle, a metal pike replaced my old spear and gave me a better chance to defending myself and my friends. I built myself a primitive workbench to store supplies and help me craft what I needed. My tools improved, my weapons improved, even my clothes improved.

 

Also by then, my hair had grown back to about what it was before this. I was able to make a sharper knife to shape it. I started mashing up tintoberries to make a dye, which I tried streaking into my hair. It doesn’t look great, but with my blond-streaked-with-maroon combo back… I felt like me again, like I could forget this whole wild adventure and just be Rayne Gustavson, music tech... at least until I went outside, where Petey sniffed at the juice on my hair once before trying to slurp half my head into his mouth with his flappy horse lips.

 

As well as I was doing, it was during those months that… my personal crisis began. I’d been building up to it since I got here, but I remember when it really hit me. It was just a little moment, one I’d had dozens of times here on this Island. I was throwing berries to my Dodo birds, when suddenly I wondered… Why?

 

I was surviving, hell, I was doing great. I was learning all sorts of new skills, and hanging out with animals I could only dream of before… but why? Why am I here? Why am I alone? Why are there dinosaurs? Why do there seem to be signs of people being here dozens of years ago? Why can’t I remember the last time I woke up in my shitty apartment? Why won’t anyone say anything? What is the point of this? Who is putting my through this and god damn it… Why?

 

That question has haunted me since I arrived. When it rolls over me I feel like I can’t even move, or work, or play with my friends, because why should I? It was despair, mixed with a bit of helplessness that I was feeling. I was defying fate by keeping myself alive this long, but I was still stuck on an island all alone with nobody to talk to. What will surviving this get me? I just miss my mom, my dad, my friends… Why me?

 

The only way I’ve been able to stave despair off and keep going was by giving myself a project. First it was the little thatch hut. Then it was preparing to tame Lindsay. Then it was learning to harvest and use metal. I’ve come a long way in my year or so on this Island. But even if I do find another project… what then? What’s it for? Am I just stuck here with nobody but the dinosaurs until one of them kills me?

 

There were whole days when I didn’t even get out of bed. I think my inactivity, along with Lindsay being out for a swim, was what brought a new project into my homestead. I was lying there sulking, looking up at the wooden ceiling I’d nearly broken my back trying to put together, and out of nowhere, Samson started bellowing in fury. That was no grunt of annoyance either… those I’ve gotten used to (one of the Dilo’s favorite games is “annoy the Triceratops) this was his threatening roar.

 

I ran outside and sprinted to my friend, who stood poised in front of the Petey, Paula, and the three lystrosaurs. Iggy stood beside him, on his hind legs, with his thumbs raised. Samson was tense, with his front legs slightly bent and his head lowered. He was in battle mode, but I couldn’t tell what he was looking at, at first. Only after staring for a minute, was I able to spot the shadows hiding in the dense foliage up the hill. Raptors. Three of them. This was a bold move. They’d never come this close to Spino territory before.

 

Soon the four Dilos trotted up to see what was going on, and that was when the Raptors decided they’d seen enough. They darted deeper into the trees.

 

In the days that followed, those same three Raptors kept popping up in various places around the homestead. Most prominent among them was the big black one. They never stayed to fight. One time they did appear in the open, but a single bellow from Lindsay sent them running. I still spotted them. I couldn’t figure out what they were doing, but it felt like they were watching… casing the joint before a heist. I chased them away on Iggy a few times, and I kept Samson on patrol. That went on for weeks. It was nerve wracking, if I’m being honest. But they never got too close. They were way too scared of the Spinosaurus I was living with. I made sure to give Lindsay extra snacks and love during that time.

 

Watching for them and shoring up my defenses became my new project. I went on an excursion or two, always leaving most of my friends home to defend each other. I grabbed a few supply drops too. One of them delivered a massive stack of paper. I considered writing down my experience… but I kept putting that off. But finally, after a little over a month of the Raptor trio quietly stalking us… they finally made their move. As I learned the hard way… no amount of preparation will let you outsmart a Raptor pack.


	15. Entry 15: Raptor Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne recalls how she was injured, and how she made a new close friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Ner1a

I’m still here. Ghost doesn’t seem to have followed us. I think the plan worked. I’m still a little worried about the nesting pair to the West of me, but at least now, I can flee to the East if they ever come stomping around the corner. No way am I leading Lystrosaurs, Dodos, Parasaurs, and hell, even Raptors, into the swamps to the North. They’d get picked off by massive Sarco-crocs or the giant snakes (Titanoboa maybe?) that I swear I’ve glimpsed in those marshes. I’m not planning on moving, though. If the Rexes come, we’ll fight them off. Lindsay would help us. I keep telling myself that, but I still worry. Even after playing games and sharing affection with her, for months she still won’t really follow orders unless she feels like it. She won’t follow us anywhere. How can I prove to her that I’m not just a roommate?

 

I’ll keep trying. At least the Raptors and I are on the same page. Finch is healing nicely. She’s already jogging around with her packmates, but she’s still got a limp. Poor girl. I have a feeling that getting kicked by a Rex would shatter every bone I have in me. I’m amazed she didn’t break anything, but then again, she’s got some experience when it comes to being sent flying.

 

But let’s stop beating around the bush. Let me tell you about the last part of my journey so far. This was a bit over two weeks ago, when the Raptors that I would eventually call friends, made their move…

 

I was in my fishing hut, scraping scales off a piranha. When I left, I spotted three Raptors trying to sneak into my Dodo pen, the same three that had been stalking our homestead. They’d picked a perfect time… Lindsay was currently out hunting.

 

Somehow they had slipped past Samson and Iggy, and avoided the Parasaurs’ danger sense. I had my equipment with me, luckily. I got my bow and some tranq arrows ready. I'd have to get back to the house and sound the alarm, bringing the dinosaurs I had running to my defense, but I would be on my own until they got there.

 

I moved quickly. By the time I reached the Dodo pen, the three beasts were clawing at the gate. Clever jerks. The one clawing at the gate was a dark brown color, with almost purple feathers and a dirty yellow belly. Standing behind her was what I could only assume was their lookout. That one was a light green with a reddish belly. He looked like a big angry parakeet. He had his back to me and was watching my Triceratops intently. I knew there was a third, but at the moment I couldn't spot it. I'd been quiet, and they didn't hear me approach. I was able to notch an arrow and put it right into the big brown one’s shoulder. It barked in anger as I put fingers to my lips and whistled as loud as I could. I heard the grunts and stomps on of my friends, but it was impossible to tell who came running, I was a little occupied. I threw down my bow and pulled out my spear, ready to fight off their charges. But they didn't charge. They stood there, watching me.

 

Shit, where was the third? A twig snapped to my right, and I dropped to the ground as the black Raptor went sailing over my head. “I know that trick asshole! You’re no clever girl!” I yelled as I rolled away. Damn thing had probably been watching me from those bushes the whole time I was approaching, and I hadn't seen it. I recovered from my roll and whipped about to face the three beasts, and raised my spear just in time to halt the charge of the green one and hold it back. I finally got a look at the third Raptor. He stood a head taller than the other two. He looked leaner, healthier, and all around stronger than the others. Quite frankly, he was gorgeous. He recovered gracefully from his failed ambush and turned to face me. His scales were jet black, his belly a dark grey, and his plumage a deep purple. He sized me up with intelligent but hungry amber eyes.

 

The trio began taking turns lunging at me, waiting for me to slip up. I wouldn't last long. One spear can't keep three sets of jaws at bay for very long. Luckily I didn't need to wait. I grinned when I heard the thundering steps rapidly approaching, and before any of the Raptors could react, Samson had already rammed into the brown one at full speed. His horns missed their mark, but the charge was still substantial, and it sent the brown Raptor flying. The thing collapsed in a heap yards away. The other two backed away, trying to decide if it was worth it to stand and fight. I kept my eyes trained on the big black one. For a brief moment he locked eyes with me. As more of my Dino friends arrived at my side, they decided they couldn't win. The black one barked, and then he and the green one dashed away.

 

They called for their brown companion, but it didn't rise to follow them. They sprinted across the inlet, swimming when they had to and disappearing around the cliff. I whistled to all my guys to stand down, then I went to check on the brown Raptor. It was still breathing. The tranq along with getting smashed by a raging Triceratops had left it unconscious. This was my chance to tame a Raptor... but not yet. I had to chase down the others. Those things are persistent, and I had to make sure they wouldn't try to attack again, one way or another. So, I grabbed the Dodos from their pen and locked them in my house. Then I laid the unconscious Raptor down within the Dodo pen. It wasn’t much of a cage, but it was better than nothing. I left some meat, laced with narc in there with it, and hoped it would take the bait. I prayed that would be enough to keep it from causing any chaos while I dealt with the rest. I left Samson there to guard it with the Dilos. Iggy and I could handle the last two.

 

It's really hard to explain the feelings I was having right then. After weeks of depression, suddenly the fire of the hunt was lit within me. My limbs tingled with the excitement of it. My breathing was steady, my senses sharp. This was a duel. They had challenged me by trying to hunt my friends. Now, I would hunt them down. I followed their tracks down long stretches of beach, but I lost sight of them after they changed course and headed up a hill into a patch of jungle.

 

Unfortunately, I'd lost the advantage of fighting out in the open. Visibility was poor and firing a bow through trees can be tricky. I slowed Iggy down as we entered. They had the advantage here, so I had to try and move quietly. I followed what tracks I could find but it was harder for me within the trees.. Which direction were they? I spurred Iggy on, watching, waiting.

 

I didn't even think to check behind me until I heard the crunch of leaves following me. I turned just in time to find a black blur flying towards me. I had to let myself fall right off of Iggy’s back to avoid letting the black Raptors jaws close around my throat. I hit the ground and for once, there was no rock pile, like the last hundred times I’ve fallen off a mount.

Before I could even get myself upright, I heard Iggy bellow. His feet stomped in distress dangerously close to my head. I glanced up and saw that the green Raptor had leapt onto his back and clung to him, biting and scratching. I tried to help at first, but my hunter’s instincts stopped me. If I turned, I left myself open to the other Raptor. So I kept my gaze firmly on the brush as I strung my bow. The Raptor had flown right over me and somehow disappeared into the trees. Another pained cry from Iggy broke my focus. I raised my bow and turned towards him, he was still struggling to shake the green Raptor from his back. I prayed my aim was good. I let an arrow fly and watched just long enough to know it hit the Raptor and not Iggy, then I threw my bow down and scrambled to pull out another weapon before the black Raptor could counter attack. I was too late. His attack didn’t come from the side this time, it came from above. I tried to dive away as he leapt at me but I was too slow. He came crashing down on me, feet first, and that giant sickle of a toe claw buried itself deep in my thigh with an audible “schlick.” I screamed like a banshee.

 

He had me pinned on my back and bleeding, and then his jaws came at my head. I tried to squirm away, but he caught my shoulder in his mouth instead. White hot pain shot through me. His teeth didn’t pierce the croc hide I was wearing. He may not have broken the skin, but he had my whole shoulder trapped in his jaws. He yanked up, wrenching my arm from its socket. I screamed. God I screamed. As he pulled me up, he drove his toe claw deeper into my thigh. I felt every millimeter.

 

The fire in me still burned. I might have blacked out from the pain on any other day, but today? It just pissed me off. I felt that huge sickle claw digging into me, I felt his front claws raking at my torso trying to tear me open, I felt his jaws crushing my shoulder as he clamped his jaws even tighter.

 

“I’ll show you,” I thought. I managed to pull one of my arrows out of my bag, and I jammed it right into that Raptor’s neck. Once, twice, three times. On the third he shifted, wrenching my arm at yet another awkward angle, I dropped the arrow, so I jammed my thumb into one of the wounds I made instead. His jaws loosened as I twisted. He shrieked in pain and dropped my torso down with the rest of me, but he didn't lift his foot: as he wailed, he just put more weight onto that foot, crushing down on me. I didn't care. I beat at his foot as hard as I could, but I couldn't move him. I couldn't reach my tools with the arm that worked right now. The other was dislocated, and was a mess of pain. The beast stopped its howling then and looked back down at me, it had me now and it knew it. All it had to do was get my head in its jaws and squeeze until I stopped flailing. As it lowered itself, I groped blindly for something, and my fingers closed around a thick stick. I grabbed it tight and thrust it towards his face, right as he lunged. Half of the stick disappeared into the pink of his maw, for a fraction of a second, nothing happened, and we just stared at one another, acknowledging what had just occurred. Then red began to seep from the Raptor’s mouth and he started screaming. The stick had gone right through his tongue meat. But even after that, he still didn't lift his fucking foot.

 

It was Iggy that got him to do that. As the Raptor roared and clawed at the stick I'd jammed in his mouth, spitting blood all over me, Iggy charged in at full speed, putting his shoulder right into the Raptor’s side. Iggy isn't huge, but at full speed, I'd wager he could knock a small tree over. In this case he sent a Raptor flying. I cried out as the sickle was wrenched wetly, but cleanly, out of my leg. I heard Iggy roar in triumph, and I pulled myself to my feet next to him. I was ignoring my wounds. That wasn't wise, but I was still filled with battle fury and adrenaline. The black Raptor had smacked into a tree from the force of Iggy’s charge. By the time it regained its feet, I had already yanked my arm to wrench it back into its socket, then I got out my new club, fashioned just the day before, reinforced with metal. I hadn’t anticipated using it so soon, but I didn't hold back.

I smashed that beast right across the back of its skull with a thunderous crack. The force sent it reeling, and caused me to yelp as the shock aggravated my sore shoulder.

 

The dazed Raptor stumbled over to its companion, the green Raptor, which lay motionless in a heap. Something about the image flipped a switch. There're a million explanations for what I saw. I likely fractured its skull, so it was most likely feeling pretty confused. But what I saw in that moment... it wasn't a vicious angry predator... I mean it was... but it was also a friend, or maybe even family member, that was concerned for its fallen companion. I'm sentimental. That sort of thing gets to me. Instead of breaking the thing’s skull open, as I'd intended to before, I went and retrieved my bow instead. I put it to sleep with a well-placed arrow.

 

After that, the fight was over. As you already know, my wounds were bad. I was out of commission for weeks. I managed to get the unconscious Raptors back home using the same sled trick I mentioned yesterday. With some jerky treats, patience, and perseverance, and despite the crippling pain in my leg and lingering ache in my shoulder, I was able to bribe all three into being… mostly friendly. The green one, who is now called Parakeet, had been beaten unconscious by Iggy. He woke up first, and when he saw me he looked terrified, but offerings of meat soothed him. They worked on the brown one, Finch, as well. The important one though, was the black one. My good friend, and current steed, Crow… the same jerk who damn near tore my leg off.

 

I guess that’s my story for now. After taming the Raptors I rested and healed and started writing at last… and here we are. It’s made me feel… so much better. It feels like a human connection to me. So thank you, oh reader of questionable existence. Thank you for listening. I’ll probably keep writing. There’s more to do now. Hell, I’ve got a goal in mind other than survival. That’s way more than I had before. I need to find these mysterious artifacts and bring them to the obelisks. I’ll let you know if I find any answers. Best of luck to you. Stay alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated!


	16. ...

He followed us. Ghost is here. Lindsay swam away. Find the artifacts. Get to the Obelisks. Survive. Escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a bit before I start again. I have a rough draft done, but lots of editing to do. Hope everyone enjoyed. Let me know what you thought!
> 
> Did Rayne survive? Find out next time...


End file.
